The Queen and Her Knight II
by Erich Zann III
Summary: Shinwoo's fight with the First Elder and the Union is over... For now. But their troubles are just beginning. After all, who ever said that only one person or group could be plotting against you at once?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Lady Mathiasen … We have intelligence on the issues going on in Korea." A young woman said reverently, kneeling before her mistress. Lise Adelheid Mathiasen had been the leader of the Holy Knights of Tobias for centuries. She had always taken great issue with the Nobles, and supernaturals in general. They flouted the rules of society, and were a danger to the world at large.

They had cost her her family. Her brother and she were the sole survivors of her village when a Vampire attacked the town. They were taken in by the Holy Knights, and eventually, Lise became the leader of the whole organization.

"Thank you, Maisie… What is the verdict?" Lise asked softly. Her voice never rose above room volume, and rarely just above a whisper. She was a soft-spoken woman.

"I-I…" Maisie blushed. She had been in love with Lise for as long as she could remember. Lise had never given any indication that she reciprocated her feelings, and Maisie was afraid that if she confessed, that Lise would pull away from her.

"Um… The Noblesse has relatively recently returned from Lukedonia, having executed three traitorous Nobles, Ma'am…"

"Good… The fewer the better. What of the Noblesse's condition? I know his life force is limited."

"H-his life force is stronger than ever. Recently, he was in a battle with an elder of the Union who had the same power that you did. Between him, and a young red haired man, who also seemed to have a similar power…"

"Do you mean that the elder had the same power, or that the Noblesse did?"

"S-sorry! I wasn't clear! The elder had the same power as you. The Noblesse's power was similar, as was the young red haired man. Their power was slightly different, though, and seemed to exceed that of the elder. Because the red haired man defeated the elder."

"I thought you said that the Noblesse was doing battle with the elder?"

"Yes, Milady. He was. But then, after the red haired man got his temper under control, the Noblesse permitted him to do battle with him. I suspect that the red haired man is, or was, a human servant of the Noblesse. He is no longer human, and has the same power that the Noblesse possesses."

"Do you mean that the Noblesse allowed himself to be modified?" Lise asked, her eyes widening slightly in surprise."

"Yes, Milady. That is what it seems like."

"How surprising. I knew that the previous Lord was very liberal in terms of what he permitted of his subjects. But I never expected Raizel himself to permit his human pet to modify him."

"Sorry? Human pet?" Maisie asked in puzzlement.

"Oh, of course. The infamous Viktor Frankenstein. Approximately 1000 years ago, Frankenstein, a terrifying man who once was a prominent member of the Union, entered into a contract with Cadis Etrama DiRaizel. Although this was very controversial, Frankenstein never faltered in his service, and is still one of the most powerful and dangerous men in the world."

"H-he can't be more powerful than you, Milady?"

"That is debatable. His ability to defeat enemies who are more powerful than himself using brilliant battle tactics and his unpredictable nature make his actual power difficult to gauge. Do you understand, Maisie?"

"Yes, Milady."

"Now, what is this power that Cadis Etrama DiRaizel supposedly possesses?"

"It's… Remarkably similar to your own. But… Its signature is different, and… Forgive me my rudeness… More pure… As if his power can control pure energy, free of the tether of mass…"

"Bioenergy Manipulation… That devil, Frankenstein… I hypothesized that if a person could manipulate Biomass, then manipulating Bioenergy was the next step. But… I never had enough material to do the research on the subject properly." Lise gasped. Maise nodded uncertainly.

"W-would… You like me to approach the red haired boy? His energy signature is identical in its modification signature to the Noblesse's. I believe that the boy got his power from the Noblesse."

"Yes. Do that. But wear these glasses. They are made of my own biomass, and will analyze him on a sub-molecular level. Remember, the longer you talk with him, the more data you will get. Then bring the glasses back to me, and I will analyze the data. Oh, and Maisie." Lise said, as soon as Maisie bowed, and began to walk away.

"Y-yes, Milady?"

"Two things. Don't call me 'Milady', and be careful. These clearly aren't people to be underestimated. They have many allies just in Seoul alone, including the current Lord, and three Clan Leaders."

"Thank you, Lise…"

"Seira… I… We've been dating for six months, now… And… Well, I got you a gift to commemorate the occasion… And your inexplicable ability to put up with me for so long…" Shinwoo said with a light, self-effacing laugh. He took Tesamu's necklace out of his pocket, and gave it to Seira. He had had it cleaned with silver polish. The person had never seen a necklace quite like it before, and had offered to buy it from him, offering him 50,000 Won.

Shinwoo refused, though. Frankenstein had told him at one point that the necklace was worth over 8.5 million Won. So, he just got it polished, and left the dishonest jeweler. Seira gasped, holding the necklace up for a moment, before putting it around her neck.

"It's beautiful, Shinwoo. I love it. This was Tesamu's necklace, correct?"

Shinwoo blushed guiltily.

"Yes… I… I had hoped you wouldn't notice…" Shinwoo said, taking out some wine, and pouring it for Seira, who took a short sip of the wine, smiling at Shinwoo all the same.

"I think that makes it even more special. It's proof of your strength, and more importantly, of your courage. You fought a man with hundreds of years more experience than you.

"You defeated him, and absorbed him, and overpowered him mentally. I was extremely impressed when I heard that you had done that. Your loyalty to your friends is remarkable."

"Thank you. I'm glad you like the gift. Are you sure that I can't convince you to accept even a minor Biomass enhancement?"

"Yes, Shinwoo. I appreciate the offer. But, unlike Raizel-nim, I am not in danger of dying if I do not have the modification. I think Regis and Rael would… How you say, flip their lid… If I did."

"I understand. Sorry. I won't bring it up again."

"Thank you for offering. I know you're simply looking out for my wellbeing. I appreciate it." Seira said, kissing Shinwoo tenderly, much to the envy of the other men in the restaurant.

Shinwoo could hear several mutterings of "lucky bastard". As Shinwoo paid the bill, and they went out of the restaurant, he could still feel their jealous stares. Seira was a gorgeous woman. He didn't wonder why they were jealous. He would have been jealous if someone else had been dating Seira. As they walked out of the restaurant, they were stopped by a young brown haired woman with green eyes. She was clearly a foreigner, but spoke excellent Korean.

"Good evening… My name is Maise McKay… I saw you at the tournament six months ago, and was amazed by your performance. I've always wanted to learn martial arts, but my parents don't approve…" She said shyly. She was clearly in good shape. Shinwoo could see that she was by looking at her with his enhanced senses.

"Oh, hello, Maisie… Nice to meet you… I… I'm not sure what to say."

"Say you'll give me all your money…" Came a voice from behind. Suddenly, there was a gun to Seira's head, and a growling voice came out of the shadows. Shinwoo and Seira both put their hands up.

"Okay. Calm down." Shinwoo said, his tone changing from cheerful to calm and controlled. What was money, right? He had plenty, after all.

He and Seira could easily survive a battle with a gun toting idiot. But he wasn't sure that the young woman could. She just looked like a normal girl, albeit a very athletic one.

"Give me your money! Now!" The man snapped. Shinwoo reached into his pocket and took out his wallet, handing over five 10,000 Won notes to the man, who grabbed it, and then shot Shinwoo, who collapsed to the ground. Maisie shrieked as blood spurted from Shinwoo's chest.

He was about to shoot Seira when Shinwoo disappeared, and reappeared behind the man, chopping the base of his neck, causing him to collapse to the ground, clearly dead.

"Y-y-you… Y-you were… Shot… I-I saw him sh-shoot you! W-what did you… What are you?"

"Ah… This is always the hard part. Maisie… I'm a modified human… I have more power than most humans do. Before you ask, Seira is normal…"

"I-I see… That was incredible… Did you always have that power? Could you teach me to use that kind of power?" Maisie asked, secretly hoping that Shinwoo would give her the same power that he had. That way, she could be closer to her beloved Lise.

"I wouldn't even if I could. I didn't choose to be modified. I was modified against my will, and I wouldn't inflict that on anyone. I'm just making the best of my situation."

"Please? I really want to be powerful like her… I love her!" Maisie cried. Shinwoo raised an eyebrow.

"Mind control doesn't work on me, sis… You should know that… 'Specially if you know another biouser."

"I-I'm sorry… I love her… I just…"

"Who is she?"

"Well… A… A member of the Union… H-high ranking scientist… Beautiful… Smart… Talented… Her name is Lise Adelheid Mathiasen." Maisie stuttered, barely making sense.

"You're lying. Stop wasting my time! Stop wasting Seira's time!" Shinwoo snapped, causing Maisie to draw back, shocked by his sudden outburst.

"I'm sorry! I… I am wasting your time… I… I just…"

"Don't worry about it. Love makes people do crazy things… But… I won't give you what I have… First of all, there's no guarantee you'd even survive."

"I know… I don't care… Fine… Just… Give me the regeneration… That way I can live forever, just like her. She's a kind woman, but she doesn't have a lot of friends."

"Why should I? You've…"

"Shinwoo… Do it… It won't hurt you." Seira said gently, putting a hand on Shinwoo's shoulder. Shinwoo nodded, and gathered Biomass in his fingers, touching Maisie's forehead.

Maisie gasped, and nearly collapsed, just barely catching herself before her knees truly gave out, locking them and staggering slightly, but staying upright.

"There. Your regeneration should be increased drastically. Now tell me, why did you really stop me. This is Seira's and my six month anniversary. It's… Kinda special… To me, anyway."

"Sorry… I wasn't lying when I said how impressed I was by your victory… Even with Biomass Manipulation, your skill at martial arts was incredible. Apparently, you have quite a reputation around town. Is it true you could beat up ten enemies at once even before you were turned."

"Yes… I guess so."

"Thank you for your time… See you later…" Maisie said, smiling and running off. For a moment, Seira and Shinwoo stood there, still a bit bemused.

"That was a good thing you did, Shinwoo… You did not have to grant her that regeneration. You have obviously heard of, and faced the Union. But I doubt you've heard of a much smaller organization called the Holy Knights of Tobias. Master and I have fought them on a few occasions. They're a Church run organization. They believe that Nobles, Werewolves, and modified humans in the employ of the Union are dangerous, and need to be fought.

"I have faced members of that group on one occasion. He was a brutal man, Tobias Ásketill Bykwist, who gave even me a run for my money. His skill in martial arts, even his creativity in battle made it difficult for me to defeat. I have defeated more powerful enemies before, but rarely have I ever faced an opponent as cunning as myself in battle."

"Boss, are you sure you're not overestimating your opponent?" Tao asked, laughing. Frankenstein, for once, didn't laugh back.

"No. He was as talented as I was. We nearly killed each other, and leveled an entire village. Of course, that was approximately 900 years ago. I can't say for sure if he's still alive. I won, but it was a pyrrhic victory. It was only because of Master's assistance that I avoided losing myself to my Dark Spear."

"As I recall, you showed no hesitation entering battle with him, and leveling the village." Raizel said with a smirk. I worried that the Lord would insist that I penalize you. I told him that I would speak to you on my own, and that official sanctions were unnecessary."

"Ahaha! I remember. That was when you commanded me to seal my powers. Best thing for me, really."

"Cadis Etrama DiRaizel…" Raskreia said quietly. Raizel looked up at her, the same serene look as always on his face.

"I have to go back to Lukedonia. I have been away for too long."

Raizel merely nodded, his expression not changing one bit.

"I'll… Miss you while I'm gone. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Me too…" Raizel said, standing and kissing Raskreia softly on the lips. Raskreia sighed gently, actually smiling. She rarely did, but she was really happy that their relationship actually meant something to Raizel.

"I apologize, Han Shinwoo… It's getting late. You have school tomorrow."

"Ah, right! I love you, Seira… I'll see you tomorrow at school… We'll all miss you, Ras… Come back soon…"

"Han Shinwoo…" Raskreia said, her expression changing only nominally.

"Y-yes?" Shinwoo asked.

"Your voice… You're not speaking so loudly anymore…" She said, just as a statement of fact. Shinwoo had been working on keeping his voice down, since he had realized, ever since he had gained psychic empathy through absorbing Tesamu, that the loudness of his voice startled and grated on people. Regis had not mentioned that Shinwoo was becoming less loud, and in fact, less pressured as well. But he had noticed the same thing.

Regis would say that Shinwoo was becoming ever so slightly more elegant. He just attributed it to Seira's influence, though, forgetting that Shinwoo had probably gained a number of powers from Tesamu.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Cadis Etrama DiRaizel…" Raskreia said as they went up into Raizel's room, closing the door. Raskreia locked it behind them with her telekinesis.

"Erga Kenesis DiRaskreia…" Raizel replied simply. Raskreia blushed slightly. She had… To her great regret… Spoken to Tao about this moment. He said that it was a moment that came in any relationship that lasted long enough.

Then he started getting really dirty, asking her such stupid questions that she just walked away. She was sure that she heard Frankenstein "talking" to Tao about his behavior later. She was still anxious, but she knew as well as anyone that nothing in life was guaranteed. She didn't know how long she'd be back in Lukedonia, or if the Union would attack again.

She was fairly assured that it was a member of the Union who sent Ragus, Edian, and Gradeus along with the Werewolves. However, since they were all dead, she couldn't prove it.

"I… I have to leave for Lukedonia tomorrow…"

Raizel nodded.

"But… I'm not ready to say goodbye to you yet."

Raizel nodded again.

"I… Want to spend the night with you… Tonight… I want to…" Raskreia began, turning red, her usual pale features turning a pale shade of pink.

Raizel had talked to Frankenstein about this event. Sex. It happened in most relationships… The ones that lasted long enough… And theirs had been going on for six months.

Frankenstein had said that most couples get to that point after the sixth or seventh date at the latest. But, some take it slower than that, and it all depends on personal preference. However, six months is typically considered a long time to wait… It wasn't bad… Frankenstein said. Just unusual.

Raizel nodded. He understood. Crossing the room at a slow and languorous pace, he embraced Raskreia, kissing her softly on the lips, escorting her over to the bed.

As they got to the bed, Raizel bowed slowly to her, kissing her hand, his lips breezing over it, and getting up onto the bed with her, sitting there, kissing her, his lips brushing over her lips and cheek, and jawline. Raskreia could feel herself heating up, sighing in happiness. What would her father say about this? True, he had always kind of encouraged them to spend time together… But this was on a whole other level.

Raizel's arms snaked around Raskreia's waist, softly rubbing her, moving to the buttons of her dress, sensually, and tortuously unbuttoning them with all the grace suggested by his regal figure. As he reached the top of her dress, he began to slide the sleeves down her arms, his hands ghosting over her bare flesh, leaving goosebumps to rise where his hands had been, Raskreia shivering in pleasure.

She had spoken to Yuizi and Artemis respectively about this. Yuizi had had very little advice to offer, as she had dated only two men in her life, and had slept with neither. Artemis was more helpful… To an extent… First, she offered to tutor Raskreia personally, which Raskreia turned down immediately. Then, she suggested that she give him a hummer. Men love hummers, she said. The conversation went on from there, with Raskreia displaying an appalling lack of comprehension, according to Artemis.

Now, the young Lord understood what Artemis meant when she said that it would be unlike anything she had ever done before. She was right. Raizel's lips kissed her shoulder, going down her arm, kissing her hand. His lips felt more like a light breeze, cool and gentle against her increasingly warm skin.

Gently, dextrously, Raizel began undoing the clasp on her bra, dropping it to the floor. However, Raskreia had learned that she was supposed to remove Raizel's clothes as well. Thus, she reversed their positions, kneeling above Raizel on the bed, her hair undone, in nothing but her panties. She didn't fail to notice that Raizel was looking at her breasts.

"D-do you like… what you see, Cadis Etrama DiRaizel?" Raskreia asked, her blush deepening.

Rai said nothing, just blushing, and nodding as if this were a completely normal response as she removed his jacket, undoing the buttons of his shirt, and dragging her fingers down his smooth chest, her touch as light as his was. As she did, Raizel sat up partially, kissing her breast, causing a short jolt of pleasure to course through her body.

Perhaps it had been that she hadn't expected that sudden kiss. But, it was all the more exciting that way. Something about the spontaneity of that kiss, short and sweet, was thrilling. Raizel's tongue flicked over her nipple, taking her nipple between his lips and sucking briefly, kissing it, causing her to gasp in sudden ecstasy, a red hot feeling of vertigo overcoming her so that she almost collapsed on the bed.

Raizel slipped out of his shirt and jacket, looking down at her with a slightly intense look. She could smell his arousal just as surely as he could smell hers.

Raizel's hand moved down to her panties, his finger hooking in them, and pulling them down to her ankles, tossing them on the floor, his other hand moving to her pussy, gently prodding it, moving over her clit, causing her to cry out with pleasure each time. After a few strokes, Raizel pushed his fingers in, causing Raskreia to cum, crying out with orgasm, her whole body shuddering with the intensity of it.

Raizel began to pull down his own underwear, revealing a fully hardened penis. Raskreia gasped at its size. He was at least 22.9 centimeters (9 inches) long. How was all that going to fit in her? Especially her first time. But she trusted Raizel enough to believe that he wouldn't hurt her.

Regardless, she tried to stall the moment of intercourse by moving down to his penis, blowing on it, and kissing the tip, slowly wrapping her tongue around it, causing Raizel to gasp, his fingers gripping her hair as she began to move up and down on him, going all the way out, and holding for a moment, occasionally humming to cause vibrations as Artemis had advised, eventually feeling Raizel gripping her tighter. Though his expression changed very little, she could tell that he was close.

In the next moment, she buried his penis all the way, going partway into her throat as Raizel came, groaning with his release. Although Raskreia coughed as she pulled him out of her mouth, she quickly got over it, and laid down on the bed, ready for him to penetrate her, nodding that she was ready.

As he slowly, gently positioned his tip at the entry, pushing in, making sure not to go too quick, she could feel a slight burning sensation as he penetrated her deeper and deeper, finally reaching her barrier, and breaking past it.

He was moving slowly enough that it felt more like a snapping sensation than actual pain. But it still didn't feel good. Raizel buried himself fully, then stayed still for a while. He had been told that a woman's first time might very well hurt, and would cause some level of bleeding. This was of course, by Tao, but it seemed logical. So he waited until Raskreia nodded at him, and he began moving inside her, in and out, causing a burning sensation that didn't hurt. It was just… Wonderful.

Raskreia gasped as he thrust the first time, moving slowly, but purposefully inside her, looking her directly in the eyes. There was something about his eyes that seemed to increase the pleasure even more. Maybe he was using some of his power. But, it didn't seem like it. She couldn't feel a signature for the power. But she was hardly paying full attention. Raizel thrust again, causing an almost immediate orgasm in Raskreia, who screamed as she gushed, even harder than the first time.

Raizel leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips, whispering that he loved her using the barest amount of telepathy.

 _Raskreia… Your beauty knows no limit…_ Rai whispered in his head, projecting it to Raskreia, who blushed slightly, her body heating up further as the ecstasy built inside her, until the only direction it could go was out.

As the euphoria built to a peak, Raskreia cried out with release as she orgasmed. Shortly after, Raizel orgasmed as well inside Raskreia, choosing to "shoot blanks" as Tao had called it. He wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but he knew that it meant that he wouldn't get Raskreia pregnant.

He wasn't ready for that yet, and he was fairly sure that Raskreia wasn't either. Barely making a noise, save for soft gasps as he released inside her, he smiled contently at her, lying down next to her on the bed as they both fell asleep together.

"I love you, Erga Kenesis DiRaskreia…" Raizel whispered out loud to her before sleep overcame him.

"It's sad to see you go, Lord… Of course, your room will be held for you until you return. Do give Gejutel and the others our best…" Frankenstein said, secretly wishing that he could get rid of the other spare occupants as easily as this. All he really wanted was to have his time with his Master again, time that he could spend as he pleased, serving tea to him, and talking.

Raizel never spoke much, himself. But he always listened to Frankenstein, no matter how much he talked, and he never judged him. There were so many spare people in the house, now, though. Regis had left semi-permanently, and Rael was all but gone. He had to focus on being a clan leader, and Regis had to focus on learning how to be a clan leader.

"Cadis Etrama DiRaizel…" Raskreia said softly, taking Raizel's arm with her left hand, feeling as he took her arm as well. She pulled him close, kissing him, before looking in his eyes one more time, and turning around, picking up her suitcase, of which she had one, and seeming to disappear. She was going to teleport to Lukedonia using a small biomass device that Raizel had made for her. It was far simpler than taking a plane with Frankenstein, which she would have done, but wanted to get home quick.

Although Raizel didn't show it openly, he was sorry to see her leave. He loved her, and had enjoyed the time that they spent together. He had copied her gaming prowess once when he kissed her, and had offered to give her Bioenergy Manipulation as well. Raskreia declined, though… For the time. Although Bioenergy Manipulation would have essentially completed her soul weapon, she did not want to rely on external power until her own power was to her satisfaction.

As Raskreia disappeared in a flash and a crack, Muzaka put a hand on Raizel's shoulder.

"Hey, Raizel… You'll see her again in no time. Let's go see a movie together…"

"I cannot."

"What? Why?"

"I have school. Perhaps you would like to join us at the PC Bang after school. You could meet my friends." Raizel said, smiling. Muzaka's face went slack. This was probably the first time he had said so much to Muzaka. Raizel scarcely spoke, much less speaking in such long sentence.

"Hello, Han Shinwoo…" Seira said, kissing Shinwoo on the lips. She was still wearing the necklace that Shinwoo had given her. She seemed to really like it. When she noticed that Shinwoo had seen it on her, she seemed to positively glow with happiness. Although her face didn't really show it, at least not to most people's perception, Shinwoo could tell that she was happy.

"Hey, Seira… That's a really pretty necklace…" Yuna said, smiling at Seira, who blushed slightly, thanking her.

"Shinwoo gave it to me for our six month anniversary."

"Really?" Suyi asked. "You two are really getting serious now, aren't you?" She asked. Shinwoo and Seira nodded. The kids turned around, looking at Rai, who, like usual had said nothing the entire walk… Somehow, it seemed like he was even quieter than usual, though today.

"Hey, Rai… Is something wrong?" Suyi asked, looking concerned about Raizel.

"Hey, yeah! You've been even quieter than usual… If that's possible."Ikhan added.

"I am fine…" Raizel responded.

"You seem sad… Oh! Has Ras gone somewhere? Usually, you two are never apart…"

"She has gone home." Raizel said, keeping to his usual taciturn manner.

"That's too bad… You two've been going out for a while, right?" Yuna asked. Raizel nodded.

"Six months, one week, and two days."

"Wow! That's… Quite an internal clock you've got there, Rai… You wanna come with us to the PC Bang after school!? We can cheer you up!" Ikhan said with a laugh. Somehow, Raizel seemed to enjoy spending time there, even though he lost every game he played. They had been giving him space so that he could be with Raskreia, since he seemed really happy with her.

Now, he seemed really depressed, though. Maybe it would help cheer him up if they went to their old haunt.

"May I bring a friend?" Raizel asked, turning a faint shade of pink. The children were all looking at him like he had sprouted a second head.

"S-sure… Wh-who is your friend?"

"Muzaka… I knew him before I moved here." Raizel said.

"He's another noble?"

"No… A Werewolf… He used to be the Lord of the Werewolves. More powerful than any other. He was even powerful enough to force me into an 820 year Hibernation." Raizel said as they walked past Pedro, his voice too low for Pedro to hear, not that he was listening. They were on time, so no reason to stop them.

"No way! We get to meet a real live Werewolf? Can he turn me into one!?" Ikhan asked excitedly. Raizel shook his head.

"That is a legend. Werewolves are born, not cursed." Raizel said, not bothering to mention the one person who "became" a Werewolf… M-21… Linus. He had a Werewolf heart implanted in him. At first he rejected it, but his enhanced regeneration allowed the heart to synchronize with him properly. Now, he was all but a full Werewolf. It was unsure whose heart he had taken.

But what was sure was that he was extraordinarily powerful. He had the power of a Werewolf, and the drive of a human to become more powerful. He sparred with Frankenstein at least three times a week in a new underground facility that was almost as large as Central Park in New York City was. It had dozens of different combinations of terrain, including city, mountains, rivers, desert, plains, forest, swamp, etcetera, which helped Linus learn how to adapt rapidly.

Tao and Takeo were coming along rapidly in their Dark Spear training. Tao was learning how to create an actual spear like Frankenstein could. Takeo could fire pure dark energy bullets out of his guns, and create guns out of dark energy, though they tended not to last long, as their concentration tended to wane as the pain got too great to continue to control and they were forced to abort the dark energy.

However, all three of them were becoming much more powerful. Even Frankenstein had become more powerful. Raizel had renewed his contract with him, imbuing him with some small level of the Bioenergy power that he had. Frankenstein's regeneration was enhanced greatly, as was his strength, speed, and even his ability to control his Dark Spear. Linus, Tao and Takeo had turned down a Contract for the time, saying that they wanted to be worthy of the contract before they accepted one.

Thus, they were still ordinary modified humans. Whatever ordinary meant, given that they were easily superior now to Cerberus, whom they had great difficulty fighting back when they first did combat with them.

"Great! We'd love to meet any friend of yours, Rai!" Yuna said cheerfully. Raizel smiled vaguely before walking into the school and heading straight for Frankenstein's office.

"Heya!" Came a shout from outside the school. The children looked up and saw a young looking, muscular man with long gray hair, and gray-blue eyes. He was incredibly handsome, and had a number of long battle scars that told stories of fights he had in the past.

"Hey, Rai! This is your friend?" Ikhan asked. Raizel nodded.

"Hey, you must be Raizel's human friends? You're headed to the PC Bang? I… Don't think I've ever played computer games before. Maybe you guys could show me how?" Muzaka asked.

"Oh, don't worry! You can't be any worse than Rai! He's never won a single game!" Ikhan said cheerfully. Raizel blushed again. He wasn't the same gamer he was before.

Although Ikhan didn't know, Raizel had gathered knowledge of gaming remotely from imbuing him with a biomass seed, and had gained knowledge from Raskreia just from touching her. Most of them didn't know that he had new powers.

"I wouldn't count Rai out yet…" Shinwoo said with a laugh. "He's not the same guy he was before."

"Well, we'll see about that!" Ikhan said boisterously.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Four

"Lord, are you feeling alright?" Rael asked, kneeling to Raskreia along with Regis as they approached her throne.

"Yes. How did your mission go?"

"Very well, Lord… We have met with the Werewolves, and learned from certain members dissatisfied with the leadership that the Second Elder, the current Lord of the Werewolves, ordered members of his Clan to assault Lukedonia."

"Thank you. What do you think of this in terms of relations with the Union, Regis?" Raskreia asked. Regis looked up.

"This information is not likely enough to demand proper reparations, or to start an all-out war with the Union. However it indicates a growing level of arrogance, indeed contempt for our contract with the human Organization.

"The Union clearly believed that we were too weak to defend against them. However, I believe they also sent the three clan leaders because they wanted extra insurance. However, they did not expect the Noblesse to be powerful enough to defend against three ex-Clan Leaders. They were not in full possession of the fact of your assistance to the Noblesse.

"Perhaps we could demand more than a simple apology, but it would be ill advised at the moment to start a war with them."

"Thank you, Regis. What is your opinion, Rael Kertia?"

"My opinion is likely biased due to my immediate affiliation with one of the ones killed in the attack, Lord."

"Do you believe that occludes you from giving a rational opinion?" Raskreia asked. Rael stiffened, and shook his head.

"It is my opinion that we need to demand that the Second Elder be punished for his arrogant and belligerent actions against the Nobles with whom the Union supposedly has an accord."

"Rael… That would only cause further hostilities between the Union and Lukedonia! I'm angry that they attacked us so brazenly. But there's no way that we can call out a single Elder without concrete and incontrovertible proof!"

"Nobles like you are the reason the Union doesn't respect Lukedonia anymore! They attacked us because they believed that we were weak!

"We can't show weakness again! We have to demand the respect that we deserve! Without us, those pathetic humans would have died out in ten years if they were lucky!"

"That doesn't give us the right to become tyrants! The humans have a saying that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely!"

"You really believe that Nobles could become corrupted by power? We held power over humans for thousands of years, and it never made us arrogant! You…"

"But humans can take care of themselves now! Yes, we deserve more than an apology. But punishing the Second Elder would not bring Rajak-nim back!"

"You don't get it! I want justice for my brother!"

"What you're talking about isn't justice. It's revenge." Regis countered. Raskreia sighed at their bickering. Suddenly, the two Nobles bowed in apology.

"My deepest apologies, Lord…" Regis and Rael said simultaneously.

"You are forgiven. You are excused."

"Yes, Lord." The two Clan Leaders said reverently. Raskreia sighed. She wanted to be able to finish her business soon, and get back to Korea. She wanted to see Raizel again, and as much as it galled her, she missed the children, Frankenstein and the modified humans.

"Hey, Yuna… Are you feeling better today?" Shinwoo asked, smiling brightly. Yuna smiled uncertainly.

"Yes… Linus was nice enough to walk me home last night. He's very mysterious, but he's really nice."

"Oh? What did you talk about on the way?"

"He didn't talk much. But, he answered questions when I asked him something. I asked him if he remembered his family. He said he thought of us and Principal Lee's friends as his family. He's really very sweet. Shinwoo… Can I talk to Seira alone for a moment? It's kind of private."

"I understand. I'll see you two in class!" Shinwoo said happily, running off, hoping to get to class in time.

"Seira… I-I think I'm in love with Linus… He's really sweet, and he's a really good listener. He doesn't talk much, but he's always so nice to everyone. I feel so safe around him. You know a bit about men, right? You've been going out with Shinwoo for a while, now. Over six months."

"I could not tell you what you should do, Seo Yuna. You just need to do what you think is right. Trust your instincts." Seira said. Yuna sighed. She still didn't know what to do. But maybe she could get Principal Lee's opinion. Linus was quite a bit older than she was. But he looked so young that it was scarcely noticeable."

"Lord… I humbly request an audience with you…" Lise said politely, bowing along with Maisie. She could see where the Nobles were going, given Raizel's modification. If all Nobles became modified, then they would become unstoppable, especially if they all became Bioenergy Users. She needed to cut this trend off at the head… Ironically, cutting a biouser's head off wouldn't stop them.

"Audience granted… But first, tell me how a human was able to not only find Lukedonia, but get past the Central Order, all the Clan Leaders, and find my location?"

"I found the island by detecting microchanges in air density. The island gives off a small gravitational pull, allowing someone who is sensitive enough to locate it. I got past the Central Order by hiding myself perfectly from any sort of detection, including aura detection. Perfect invisibility.

"As for you, Lord… Your aura is unique in all the world. Powerful and imposing, and of course, plentiful. You had the most powerful aura on the island. I simply followed my aura sense here, attempting to avoid Clan Leaders. I could have defeated them. But I didn't want to hurt them. I would rather make a deal with you than start a war with you."

"Who are you?" Raskreia demanded cautiously. Lise bowed again.

"I am Lise Adelheid Mathiasen."

"M-Maisie Elspeth McKay… Lord…" Maisie muttered, still cowed by Raskreia's intense aura.

"And, what do you want?"

"We want you to agree to stay completely out of human affairs… All due respect, Lord, your time as Nobles has passed. Nobles are a relic of the past. Immortal, powerful and by and large, benevolent, but obsolete. Allow humans to take care of their own affairs… We are aware that your Noblesse has allowed himself to be modified rather extensively, and we are disturbed by this apparent new trend of Nobles modifying themselves, making themselves even more unreachable by normal humans.

"However, the Holy Knights of Tobias will battle the Nobles on all fronts if you continue to interfere in human events."

"How dare you presume to tell us what to do?" Raskreia demanded, quietly angry.

"We do not interfere with human affairs unless it becomes clear that their lives are in danger, and I don't recall you Holy Knights poking your noses into Union affairs when they were attacking innocent humans."

"Of course not. We are not large enough to fight the Union everywhere that they are, and since the Union is nearly omnipresent, that leaves us at a distinct disadvantage. However, we are expanding, and hoped that we could reach a treaty with the Nobles to avoid a war that would cause huge casualties on both sides. I'm certain that you of all people wouldn't want that… Especially given your… close… affiliation with Cadis Etrama DiRaizel…" Lise said, her implication clear.

Raskreia turned deep red, her scowl deepening.

"Rael, Gejutel… Please escort our guests out. Make sure that they are not apprehended as they leave." Raskreia said distastefully. Gejutel and Rael seemed to appear on their own at Lise's and Maisie's side, bowing politely, and taking the women's arms, leading them to the exit.

"Humans…" Raskreia spat furiously. "They may have evolved physically from monkeys, but they still act like filthy apes!" The young Lord sighed deeply.

"Cadis Etrama DiRaizel… Sometimes I don't understand your infatuation with humans. I know we're supposed to protect them… But they seem completely oblivious to convention. Gejutel? Perhaps you could explain Raizel's fascination with humans? You have certainly known him longest."

"Yes, Lord. I am not certain, but I believe the Noblesse secretly envies their freedom. Look at humans… They are able to enjoy life to the fullest. They go to school. They spend time with friends, become romantically involved, get married, have children… But they don't have to do any of those things. No extraordinary expectations are put on humans. They are… Well… Free. Cadis Etrama DiRaizel, for all his power, for all the Nobles that adored and respected him, had very few friends.

"He had followers. He had worshippers… How can a god have friends? Who could reach a god on his level? That is why Frankenstein is so important to the Noblesse. He was his first real friend."

"What are you talking about? My father was Cadis Etrama DiRaizel's friend… He had the Clan Leaders."

"You are wrong. The previous Lord pitied and cared about the Noblesse. But they weren't friends. The Clan Leaders… Myself included, sadly, adored and were in awe of Raizel.

"We sought to emulate him. Some Clan Leaders, as you have seen, Lord, resented him. Edian was in love with him. But even she, who felt romantic love for the Noblesse, knew that she was not his equal. She could never be his equal, and they both acted their part in Noble society. Humans, like Han Shinwoo, and his other friends… Loud and inconsiderate as they sometimes are, treat Cadis Etrama DiRaizel as their equal, as their best friend… He belongs with humans as he could never belong with Nobles."

"I see… Do you believe that he treats me as an equal?" Raskreia asked, blushing slightly. "Do I treat him as one? As a… friend?"

"It is hard to say, Lord… If you will forgive me saying… Your positions in Noble society are too different. It would be like comparing a queen to a god. So… Equality is difficult to measure. He seems quite fond of you, if that is what you are asking."

"Do you think he loves me?"

"Um… L-Lord… Why are you asking me these things? You should ask Raizel, himself. He may not speak much. But he won't deny you answers if you ask him directly. They may be short and succinct answers… But he will answer you."

"Thank you. You may go."

"Yes, Lord…" Gejutel said, bowing and exiting the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Lord, are you feeling alright?" Rael asked, kneeling to Raskreia along with Regis as they approached her throne.

"Yes. How did your mission go?"

"Very well, Lord… We have met with the Werewolves, and learned from certain members dissatisfied with the leadership that the Second Elder, the current Lord of the Werewolves, ordered members of his Clan to assault Lukedonia."

"Thank you. What do you think of this in terms of relations with the Union, Regis?" Raskreia asked. Regis looked up.

"This information is not likely enough to demand proper reparations, or to start an all-out war with the Union. However it indicates a growing level of arrogance, indeed contempt for our contract with the human Organization.

"The Union clearly believed that we were too weak to defend against them. However, I believe they also sent the three clan leaders because they wanted extra insurance. However, they did not expect the Noblesse to be powerful enough to defend against three ex-Clan Leaders. They were not in full possession of the fact of your assistance to the Noblesse.

"Perhaps we could demand more than a simple apology, but it would be ill advised at the moment to start a war with them."

"Thank you, Regis. What is your opinion, Rael Kertia?"

"My opinion is likely biased due to my immediate affiliation with one of the ones killed in the attack, Lord."

"Do you believe that occludes you from giving a rational opinion?" Raskreia asked. Rael stiffened, and shook his head.

"It is my opinion that we need to demand that the Second Elder be punished for his arrogant and belligerent actions against the Nobles with whom the Union supposedly has an accord."

"Rael… That would only cause further hostilities between the Union and Lukedonia! I'm angry that they attacked us so brazenly. But there's no way that we can call out a single Elder without concrete and incontrovertible proof!"

"Nobles like you are the reason the Union doesn't respect Lukedonia anymore! They attacked us because they believed that we were weak!

"We can't show weakness again! We have to demand the respect that we deserve! Without us, those pathetic humans would have died out in ten years if they were lucky!"

"That doesn't give us the right to become tyrants! The humans have a saying that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely!"

"You really believe that Nobles could become corrupted by power? We held power over humans for thousands of years, and it never made us arrogant! You…"

"But humans can take care of themselves now! Yes, we deserve more than an apology. But punishing the Second Elder would not bring Rajak-nim back!"

"You don't get it! I want justice for my brother!"

"What you're talking about isn't justice. It's revenge." Regis countered. Raskreia sighed at their bickering. Suddenly, the two Nobles bowed in apology.

"My deepest apologies, Lord…" Regis and Rael said simultaneously.

"You are forgiven. You are excused."

"Yes, Lord." The two Clan Leaders said reverently. Raskreia sighed. She wanted to be able to finish her business soon, and get back to Korea. She wanted to see Raizel again, and as much as it galled her, she missed the children, Frankenstein and the modified humans.

"Hey, Yuna… Are you feeling better today?" Shinwoo asked, smiling brightly. Yuna smiled uncertainly.

"Yes… Linus was nice enough to walk me home last night. He's very mysterious, but he's really nice."

"Oh? What did you talk about on the way?"

"He didn't talk much. But, he answered questions when I asked him something. I asked him if he remembered his family. He said he thought of us and Principal Lee's friends as his family. He's really very sweet. Shinwoo… Can I talk to Seira alone for a moment? It's kind of private."

"I understand. I'll see you two in class!" Shinwoo said happily, running off, hoping to get to class in time.

"Seira… I-I think I'm in love with Linus… He's really sweet, and he's a really good listener. He doesn't talk much, but he's always so nice to everyone. I feel so safe around him. You know a bit about men, right? You've been going out with Shinwoo for a while, now. Over six months."

"I could not tell you what you should do, Seo Yuna. You just need to do what you think is right. Trust your instincts." Seira said. Yuna sighed. She still didn't know what to do. But maybe she could get Principal Lee's opinion. Linus was quite a bit older than she was. But he looked so young that it was scarcely noticeable."

"Lord… I humbly request an audience with you…" Lise said politely, bowing along with Maisie. She could see where the Nobles were going, given Raizel's modification. If all Nobles became modified, then they would become unstoppable, especially if they all became Bioenergy Users. She needed to cut this trend off at the head… Ironically, cutting a biouser's head off wouldn't stop them.

"Audience granted… But first, tell me how a human was able to not only find Lukedonia, but get past the Central Order, all the Clan Leaders, and find my location?"

"I found the island by detecting microchanges in air density. The island gives off a small gravitational pull, allowing someone who is sensitive enough to locate it. I got past the Central Order by hiding myself perfectly from any sort of detection, including aura detection. Perfect invisibility.

"As for you, Lord… Your aura is unique in all the world. Powerful and imposing, and of course, plentiful. You had the most powerful aura on the island. I simply followed my aura sense here, attempting to avoid Clan Leaders. I could have defeated them. But I didn't want to hurt them. I would rather make a deal with you than start a war with you."

"Who are you?" Raskreia demanded cautiously. Lise bowed again.

"I am Lise Adelheid Mathiasen."

"M-Maisie Elspeth McKay… Lord…" Maisie muttered, still cowed by Raskreia's intense aura.

"And, what do you want?"

"We want you to agree to stay completely out of human affairs… All due respect, Lord, your time as Nobles has passed. Nobles are a relic of the past. Immortal, powerful and by and large, benevolent, but obsolete. Allow humans to take care of their own affairs… We are aware that your Noblesse has allowed himself to be modified rather extensively, and we are disturbed by this apparent new trend of Nobles modifying themselves, making themselves even more unreachable by normal humans.

"However, the Holy Knights of Tobias will battle the Nobles on all fronts if you continue to interfere in human events."

"How dare you presume to tell us what to do?" Raskreia demanded, quietly angry.

"We do not interfere with human affairs unless it becomes clear that their lives are in danger, and I don't recall you Holy Knights poking your noses into Union affairs when they were attacking innocent humans."

"Of course not. We are not large enough to fight the Union everywhere that they are, and since the Union is nearly omnipresent, that leaves us at a distinct disadvantage. However, we are expanding, and hoped that we could reach a treaty with the Nobles to avoid a war that would cause huge casualties on both sides. I'm certain that you of all people wouldn't want that… Especially given your… close… affiliation with Cadis Etrama DiRaizel…" Lise said, her implication clear.

Raskreia turned deep red, her scowl deepening.

"Rael, Gejutel… Please escort our guests out. Make sure that they are not apprehended as they leave." Raskreia said distastefully. Gejutel and Rael seemed to appear on their own at Lise's and Maisie's side, bowing politely, and taking the women's arms, leading them to the exit.

"Humans…" Raskreia spat furiously. "They may have evolved physically from monkeys, but they still act like filthy apes!" The young Lord sighed deeply.

"Cadis Etrama DiRaizel… Sometimes I don't understand your infatuation with humans. I know we're supposed to protect them… But they seem completely oblivious to convention. Gejutel? Perhaps you could explain Raizel's fascination with humans? You have certainly known him longest."

"Yes, Lord. I am not certain, but I believe the Noblesse secretly envies their freedom. Look at humans… They are able to enjoy life to the fullest. They go to school. They spend time with friends, become romantically involved, get married, have children… But they don't have to do any of those things. No extraordinary expectations are put on humans. They are… Well… Free. Cadis Etrama DiRaizel, for all his power, for all the Nobles that adored and respected him, had very few friends.

"He had followers. He had worshippers… How can a god have friends? Who could reach a god on his level? That is why Frankenstein is so important to the Noblesse. He was his first real friend."

"What are you talking about? My father was Cadis Etrama DiRaizel's friend… He had the Clan Leaders."

"You are wrong. The previous Lord pitied and cared about the Noblesse. But they weren't friends. The Clan Leaders… Myself included, sadly, adored and were in awe of Raizel.

"We sought to emulate him. Some Clan Leaders, as you have seen, Lord, resented him. Edian was in love with him. But even she, who felt romantic love for the Noblesse, knew that she was not his equal. She could never be his equal, and they both acted their part in Noble society. Humans, like Han Shinwoo, and his other friends… Loud and inconsiderate as they sometimes are, treat Cadis Etrama DiRaizel as their equal, as their best friend… He belongs with humans as he could never belong with Nobles."

"I see… Do you believe that he treats me as an equal?" Raskreia asked, blushing slightly. "Do I treat him as one? As a… friend?"

"It is hard to say, Lord… If you will forgive me saying… Your positions in Noble society are too different. It would be like comparing a queen to a god. So… Equality is difficult to measure. He seems quite fond of you, if that is what you are asking."

"Do you think he loves me?"

"Um… L-Lord… Why are you asking me these things? You should ask Raizel, himself. He may not speak much. But he won't deny you answers if you ask him directly. They may be short and succinct answers… But he will answer you."

"Thank you. You may go."

"Yes, Lord…" Gejutel said, bowing and exiting the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Goodbye, Gejutel… I am not certain when I will be back…"

"Forgive my audacity, Lord, but you should not feel the need to return. We are capable of handling Lukedonia, and you are enjoying your life on the outside."

"Thank you." Raskreia said, turning and leaving, teleporting away.

"Master, you seem distracted. You spoke even less than usual when the children came over. You barely even looked at them. Is something wrong?"

"Frankenstein… What is the human tradition for proposing marriage?"

"Oh, my… Everyone, would you leave us for a while? Tao? No eavesdropping…"

"Boss, I'm wounded… I would never… I understand…" Tao said, cowed by Frankenstein glowering at him.

"Well… Most humans give their would-be betrothed a diamond ring. However… They usually date for longer than six months before considering marriage. Far be it from me to tell you how long to wait. But, perhaps you should consider waiting a while longer. After all, most people who know you and the Lord believe you to be only around 18."

"What is the typical age that humans marry?"

"Oh, anywhere between 22 and 30… Though there are some people who wait longer, or get married sooner. Master is certainly one of the most eligible men I have ever met. A man of wealth, power, taste and honor. Why do you wish to know, Master? Do you intend to propose to her?"

"Not exactly. I wish to give her a gift, and I was under the impression that gifts were given upon the man's proposal to the woman."

"Well… That may be true… But… You and the Lord have been dating for just over six months, and you have not yet celebrated. It is common to celebrate in some way the six month anniversary of a relationship. After that, anniversaries happen less frequently, usually once a year or so. So a six month and a one year anniversary are common. And… So on. What did you have planned for her gift?"

"I intend to enhance the power of the half of Ragnarok she granted me, and return it to her. I have been working on making "soul weapons", and I believe that I should be able to use the small fragment of the Previous Lord's soul in my body, enhance the power in it, and return it to sword form. This should complete Raskreia's soul weapon."

"That is a very generous gift, Master…"

"Do you think it is too much?" Raizel asked, seeming uncertain.

"Not at all, Master… It is a very gracious gift, one befitting of your nobility and honor. Have you begun crafting it?"

"No. I have already completed it. I am satisfied that I have made it complete, copying the previous Lord's aura signature perfectly so that it will meld with Raskreia's without incident. I have very nearly quintupled the level of power inherent in the sword."

"Oh, my… Master, you are very generous, indeed…"

"Yes… Raizel is very kind, is he not?" Raskreia asked, walking in, and looking at Raizel, who looked away, blushing slightly.

"Um… How much did you hear, Lord?"

"Only that Raizel is 'very generous, indeed'." Raskreia replied, to which Raizel seemed relieved.

"Erga Kenesis DiRaskreia, I wish to celebrate our six month anniversary." Raizel said, still a light pink color. Raskreia blushed ever so slightly as well.

"Oh, okay… Where shall we go?"

"Well, I will prepare a meal for you both…" Frankenstein interjected. It will be my finest work, I swear to both of you. It will put all the greatest gourmet chefs in the world to shame." Raizel's servant said with a determined look.

Raizel nodded, and went back up to his own room, an elegant affair decorated luxuriously, and tastefully, and locked his door, taking the half of Ragnarok that he had removed from himself, and began examining its aura signature. It was powerful, already much more powerful than even the Previous Lord's Ragnarok. However, he felt a certain level of vanity, intent on increasing the power to ten times the original Ragnarok's level.

It may have been unnecessary, but Raizel felt a bit of pride in his rapid mastery of Bioenergy Manipulation. He had been training extensively with Shinwoo, and both their power levels had increased drastically. Shinwoo was already a Master level user of Bioenergy Manipulation, while Raizel was an Ultimate level user. Both of them had omnikinesis and many other similar abilities.

Shinwoo impressed Raizel daily with his ingenuity in his use of Bioenergy Manipulation. It had been he who had created an entire city worth of Biomass using trees, rats and other vermin and birds. Shinwoo had permanently taken care of the rat problem, which, for a while had been a major issue. Seoul had essentially become the most rat infested city in the world. But Shinwoo completely sterilized the rats, and turned them into high power biomass factories that were connected to him empathically.

That meant, apparently, that they couldn't use biomass without his say-so. Therefore, there was an eternal source of biomass in the rats, but only about 10,000 rats in the entire city. So they did the job for which rats were required. But they could never overrun the city like they almost did once, when there were fifty rats for every human in the city.

Raizel closed his eyes, breathing in, and releasing bioenergy perfectly attuned with the Lord's aura signature. After a while, Raizel realized that he had gone further than he had intended. It was over fifteen times the original level. However, Raizel smiled, and used biomass to create a long sword case for Ragnarok, making it elegant, black and lacquered, with a long golden cross on the lid, padding the inside with soft biomass that perfectly formed around the sword, protecting it from damage.

He then put a lock on it and made a key to the lock out of the same golden colored biomass as the cross. He then used thinner biomass to wrap it with black and gold wrapping paper and put a bow on it. The dinner was going to be that night, and he didn't want to be unprepared. So in addition, he made a suit for the anniversary, a handsome affair that fit him perfectly, and a silken tie. After finishing, he removed the suit, and put it on a hanger, sitting down and resting by reading a book that Muzaka had suggested.

It was a science-fiction book. It was alright, but by the time evening came, Raizel had finished the book. Once he did, he looked at his watch, putting on the suit, picking up the sword case, and walking downstairs, where Raskreia was sitting already in a black dress that hugged her curves beautifully, the neckline hanging down, showing her cleavage somewhat. Raizel found himself turning pink at the sight. She was always gorgeous. But in this dress, she looked incredible.

"This is for you, Raskreia…" Raizel said, turning a deeper red, kissing Raskreia's hand and giving her the box with all the grace implied by his position. Raskreia looked at the long box, surprised slightly.

"Thank you." She said, taking off the wrapping paper slowly, and then unlocking the box with the key he had provided. When she did, she gasped. The power that radiated off the sword was so intense that she could scarcely believe it.

"Is… Is this… A Ragnarok to replace mine?" Raskreia asked, narrowing her eyes. Raizel shook his head.

"It is the half that you gave to me over a year ago. I removed the small piece of your father's Aura still in me, magnified it, and returned it to sword form. Your Ragnarok can be complete, now."

"This is… Very kind of you… But… I'm not sure I can accept something this huge. It must have taken a great deal of energy on your part to make. Are you not exhausted by doing this? The amount of bioenergy you possess is inherently limited."

"False. My Bioenergy Manipulation causes it to regenerate as rapidly as my flesh now can. In fact, I have more Bioenergy than I ever had before."

"Thank you, Cadis Etrama DiRaizel… May I fuse them now?"

"Whenever you wish. Frankenstein… Are the others gone?"

"Yes, Master. Miss Seira went on a date with Shinwoo, and the others went out on their own."

"Thank you…"

"Of course… I prepared dinner for both of you… My best work, if I say so myself…" Frankenstein said, setting out Raskreia's plate. She had told him what she wanted earlier, and he had made it. And, well, Raizel always wanted the same thing. Ramen. Raskreia had asked for Galbi, short ribs marinated in soy sauce. Raizel looked down at the ramen, as usual, waiting for it to "get bigger".

Even though Frankenstein had explained that the serving wasn't increasing, that the noodles were just getting bloated, he still did the same thing. He didn't really need to eat. He had programmed the evolution into himself so that he didn't need food. But, he still enjoyed ramen immensely. So, the two sat there, and stared at each other, communicating telepathically.

 _How was your trip to Lukedonia?_ Raizel asked. Raskreia sighed.

 _"Some humans came to Lukedonia to petition me. The leader had powers similar to those that Han Shinwoo once possessed. Biomass Manipulation. She claimed to be from the Holy Knights of Tobias, and requested that we no longer interfere with human affairs."_

 _How did you respond?_

 _"I was shocked by their audacity, especially in mentioning yours and my relationship, and implying that anything could happen to either of us. The woman said that they could take care of human affairs, and that we should remove ourselves from the human world."_

 _You told her you would not?_

 _"I told her, in human terms, anyhow, to take a long walk off of a short pier."_ Raizel laughed telepathically at this joke, causing the blush on Raskreia's face to deepen.

"You look gorgeous tonight… Not that you don't look gorgeous all the time… I just mean…" Raizel muttered, shyness getting the better of him. Raskreia smiled.

"Thank you. You made a new suit for yourself. It looks good…" Raskreia replied, manifesting her own Ragnarok, and fusing it perfectly with the half that Raizel had just given her, taking a small bite of the Galbi.

Frankenstein wasn't lying. He had really outdone himself tonight. The meat was perfect and tender, the taste of the meat enhanced, not overpowered by the taste of the soy sauce. She tasted some of the rice on the side. The same could be said of the rice, mild though it was. It had a slight bit of salt in it and was a light brown color from a little bit of soy sauce in it as well. But it wasn't too strong. Raskreia could appreciate how delicately Raizel's servant had made the meals.

The sword, as the two halves were fused, let out a blood red aura, filling the entire house with a sense of power unrivaled by anything Raskreia had felt, save the aura of Raizel himself, and perhaps that of Frankenstein, whose aura was oppressive and painful by nature when it got too strong, or when his rage reached a peak. After a moment, Raskreia dematerialized Ragnarok. For a moment, it burned while inside her, but then the feeling subsided.

"Thank you, Cadis Etrama DiRaizel… This is an incredible gift."

"It was not a gift. I was simply returning what was yours to begin with. You needn't thank me." Raizel said, eating more of the ramen. He couldn't deny that this was the best Frankenstein had ever made.

Raskreia smiled shyly, remembering their first time together, going back even to their first date. As soon as the two had finished eating, they thanked Frankenstein, and changed so that they could go out on the city for the night. Rai stayed in his suit, but Raskreia changed into a less revealing dress, though no less elegant and beautiful.

"We will be home late…" Raizel said to Frankenstein, as he held the door open for Raskreia, who smiled and went outside, Raizel walking out after her. The two walked slowly, leisurely along the street, in no hurry to go anywhere.

Raizel had enough money for the night, given him by Frankenstein. Raizel was really happy. There was something about this situation that he just really enjoyed. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, but he seemed to be spacing out, now.

"Raizel… Raizel…"

"Sorry? I am afraid I was lost in thought."

"Hey, bro… This your bitch?" A man asked, smirking lecherously at Raskreia, then looking disdainfully at Raizel. His friends laughed.

"So, are you going to give your bitch to me, or do I have to take her?"

"You are too tall…" Raizel said quietly, his voice smooth as silk.

"Huh?" The man asked stupidly, his guttural tone offensive to both Noble and Noblesse.

" _ **Kneel.**_ " Raizel said forcefully, his blood red eyes glowing. The man gasped, falling to his knees. The other hoodlums gasped, scattering like flies.

"I-I… C-can't… Breathe!" The young man gasped.

"I have not given you permission to breathe. Your vulgarity offends me… I should put you into your eternal sleep right now. However, I am sworn not to harm humans… Regardless of how vile they may be. Leave, and never look at me or Raskreia again!" Raizel commanded, his voice soft, but powerful, brooking no dissent. The man stood, seemingly not of his own accord, and fled.

"Cadis Etrama DiRaizel… That was quite impressive… Please don't kill anyone, though."

"I never intended to. Merely to scare him. I gave you what I owed you earlier."

"You owed me nothing. I gave you that sword because I wanted to."

"I now offer you a choice."

"What… What choice?" Raskreia asked suspiciously.

"Would you like me to give you Bioenergy Manipulation?"

"You're asking me if I want you to modify me?" Raskreia asked, slightly appalled at his suggestion.

"Bioenergy Manipulation is not arguably modification. It is more akin to a metamorphasis.

"Rather than having your powers change, your powers are merely augmented beyond what you could imagine. Your Soul Weapon would be enhanced even further. I leave it to you. You should take some time to think about it. Ask Frankestein to elaborate on it. It is not a decision you can change after the fact."

"I will consider it." Raskreia said uncertainly.

"Where would you like to go, Erga Kenesis DiRaskreia?" Raizel asked gently, his voice never rising above a whisper, but nevertheless heard perfectly by Raskreia. Raskreia thought for a moment.

"Perhaps a walk in the park. It is a beautiful night, is it not?"

Raskreia knew that both Raizel and Han Shinwoo had created biomass factories in trees in the park, along with turning several of the park creatures into mind linked biomass factories. Raizel preferred using trees, simply due to the vanity of not wanting to use filthy, disease ridden animals for biomass. But he occasionally chose a particularly beautiful fox or stray cat and imbued them with the ability to create biomass, then linked his mind to theirs so he could command them to return to him when he wished.

As the two entered the park, Raizel sniffed the air. There was something amiss. It smelled of a powerful aura, not a Noble, and not a modified human… It was a Werewolf, but not a normal Werewolf. This one was definitely modified. Raizel's eyes narrowed, gripping Raskreia's hand tighter. However, he continued walking forward, slowly, carefully.

"Cadis Etrama DiRaizel… Do you feel that? Of course you do… What am I asking?"

"Yes. I feel it. It is a Modified Werewolf. A very powerful one. I hear voices."

"Muzaka… The Lord of the Werewolves extends an invitation to you… And of course, your lady friend may join you if she likes."

"Maduke wishes to speak to me?" Muzaka asked, sounding confused at the idea.

"Yes… He… Doesn't wish there to be any bad blood between the two of you anymore… Your time as Lord of the Werewolves may be over. But that doesn't mean that you and he can't be amicable."

"Maduke had his chance to be amicable with me. He lost that chance when he ordered my daughter murdered. I will entertain no such notion that we can somehow be friends." Muzaka said coldly. Raizel could hear them as clearly as if he was standing next to them, his hearing so intensely enhanced by his omnikinesis. His ability to manipulate sound waves subconsciously allowed him to make even the slightest sound perfectly audible to his ears.

"We should not interfere." Raizel said passively, continuing to walk along the path, altering their course so that they did not pass Muzaka, but continuing to listen to the conversation, and absorbing excess biomass from numerous trees, making sure that he had plenty of Biomass and of course, Bioenergy in the frankly unlikely event that he needed it.

As they walked, Raizel making sure that he stayed near in the event that Muzaka lost control of the situation, Raizel tried to enjoy the evening, but found that it had already been ruined. Suddenly, though, he realized that it had been ruined the minute they walked into the park.

"How dare you question the Lord's intentions? You! A failure of a Lord! You! A traitor to the clan! You! Who sided with the Nobles time and again!

"The Lord told me to expect an unwillingness to cooperate! But I didn't think that even you would be this obstinate!" The Werewolf roared. Suddenly, Raizel felt a powerful aura erupt from nearby.

"Cadis Etrama DiRaizel… Do you wish to take care of this issue, or shall I?" Raskreia asked. Raizel looked at her, his answer clear in his eyes. They could both go. Both would not be needed. But, Raizel didn't want their date to be ruined that completely.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Muzaka…" Raizel said. Muzaka looked up from the fight he had been just about to get in, and started upon seeing Raizel and Raskreia standing there, both dressed up for the evening, both looking particularly annoyed to be here. Muzaka sighed.

"I can handle this Raizel… This is a family matter. You and the Lord needn't be here."

"But I cannot allow you to let harm come to humans. Your powers are too destructive. You would reduce this park to ashes."

"Not against this guy. I don't need to use even a tenth of my power to beat him. This man is a young werewolf, not even as old as Miss Artemis. How old are you, young man?"

"What's it to you? Old enough and powerful enough to kill a traitor such as yourself!" The werewolf growled.

"You've been modified… Extensively. Your aura may be much more powerful than average, but… Given your ungainly gait, I'm guessing you can't be older than 150. Am I right?"

"I-I'm 132 years old." The modified Werewolf said, moving into a fighting stance.

"Do you truly want to fight me? I don't want to fight you. Did you know that Maduke, your current Lord tried to have me killed? He had my daughter assassinated to sent me into a rage so that the Noblesse would kill me before I could hurt any humans."

"LIAR! The Lord is noble and courageous! He could defeat you in single combat with ease!"

"Are you joking? He's tried at least ten times. Go, tell Maduke that I refuse to make peace with him, and that I'm coming for him. I know what he did last summer… Raizel, that's what humans say, right?" Muzaka asked cluelessly. Raizel blinked, looking at Raskreia, who seemed just as clueless. Didn't it happen over 800 years ago? Or was it a human euphemism for something?

"Regardless… You've failed… Leave, now." Muzaka demanded. He wouldn't allow humans to be harmed by this Union agent.

"I was told that I didn't have that option. Do you see this?" The agent asked, holding a large fang in his hand that was attached to a leather lace around his neck.

"It's a beautiful Werewolf fang." Muzaka said.

"Indeed. It's believed to be the fang of the first Werewolf. It was given to me by Maduke… Supposedly, it possesses his aura, and will make me more powerful."

"You actually believe that? Werewolves don't have magical powers like Nobles do. We don't have Soul Weapons. If you're going to fight me, fight me. If you're not, then leave." Muzaka laughed.

"Fine!" The upstart roared, transforming into his Werewolf form, and rushing Muzaka, who dodged, tripping him, twisting his arm and dislocating it.

"Are you done trying to do the impossible? I really don't want to kill you… Especially not in front of the Noblesse."

"Ohh, what is the Noblesse to you? Your lover?" The young Werewolf taunted. Muzaka merely laughed at this.

"No. We're friends… Close friends, perhaps… But there's no romance between us. I respect him deeply for his devotion to his job, and his friends. Beyond that… He's an interesting guy." Muzaka said, sidestepping, and grabbing the young Werewolf's arm, throwing him into a tree.

"You really are making this difficult for yourself. You need to just quit while you're behind." Muzaka laughed.

"You're a monster!" The young man roared.

"Why don't you tell me your name? That way I can at least address you properly."

"Máni… My father named me after the Norse god of the moon! He had great plans for me."

"Hm… I can see that. But, you really need to quit now, while you still have a head."

Máni snarled, looking at Muzaka, then turning his head to Raskreia and Raizel, just standing there.

He grinned wildly, turning back into his Werewolf form, and ran at Raskreia, who looked at him, completely unconcerned, manifesting her Ragnarok and cutting Máni in half perfectly at the waist and cutting his head off in the same stroke.

"I apologize, Muzaka." Raskreia said. Muzaka sighed.

"Best thing for him, really. Sorry I ruined your anniversary."

"No need to apologize." Raizel said quietly, taking Raskreia's hand and continuing to walk through the park. It was a gorgeous night. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, the moon was full, and the stars were twinkling beautifully in the night sky.

Raizel pointed to the East.

"Do you see that red star?"

"Yes." Raskreia said quietly.

"That's Mars, a planet named after the Roman god of war and agriculture. Frankenstein says there could be a number of real life figures responsible for the legend of Mars. It's possible that the Ru Clan started the legends of Mars, given their combat prowess."

"Are all human deities based on Nobles?" Raskreia asked. Raizel looked at her.

"I don't know. It's possible. Humans have a habit of taking what they don't understand and turning it into the legends that subsist even today. The Elenor Clan was the inspiration for many legends of magic. The Mergas Clan was the inspiration for knights. Most human weapons are based on the Nobles' Soul Weapons, whether they know it or not." Raizel said softly, sighing and sitting down.

"Are you feeling tired?"

"Yes…" Raizel said quietly, surprising Raskreia with how forthright he was being.

"This world, fast-paced as it is, exhausts me. I am just not used to the high speed nature of the modern age. The children run around so energetically. They never tire, and I sometimes wonder if their energy has any boundaries, or if they will simply continue to run and laugh and yell until their death."

"You are under no obligation to continue to go to school with them. You do more for them than anyone can be expected to do. You have protected them from the shadows. You have saved them. Your ceaseless vigil over them is impressive and admirable. But even you cannot be expected to watch forever." Raskreia offered. Raizel sighed.

"No. I enjoy being with them. The fact that they tire me does not stop me from enjoying their company." Raizel said, his tiredness obvious on his face. He had modified himself so that he didn't need sleep. But, these children seemed to overwhelm that. He would need to talk about that with Frankenstein.

"I do not wish to see you so tired. You are used to the slow paced world of the Nobles, not the breakneck world of humans. Just be careful that you don't get hurt.

"The children's lives will go by in the blink of an eye… With the exception of Han Shinwoo, all of them are normal humans. They will live remarkably short lives, and die old and decrepit. I don't wish to see you hurt by their deaths."

"You don't understand, Raskreia…" Raizel said sadly, a tear actually sliding down his cheek.

"Then help me to."

"The fact that they live such short lives makes their lives all the more beautiful and precious. Our lives, if you can call them that, border on eternity, and are relegated to our Noblesse Oblige. We gladly perform that duty, but a human's life is what they want it to be, not what it is expected to be.

"I envy that in them. I gladly protect them, and will continue to protect them unto my death. However, I wish that I was born a human sometimes, and could live a simpler life than the one that I have now."

"Are you not satisfied with your life as it is?" Raskreia asked, seeming worried that he wasn't happy dating her.

"That is not the case. I merely am envious of the humans' freedom. Although I don't condone the Union's behavior, their ability to innovate still amazes me."

"Do you believe that humans could have prospered without us in the ancient past?"

"It is difficult to say. Humans are ingenious. Their ability to innovate puts them head and shoulders above any other species on earth, including ourselves. Werewolves and Nobles have always relied on our overwhelming power to overcome adversity. They very well may have figured out a way to defeat their ancient enemies without our help. They would not have advanced as quickly without us. But, they would likely have advanced nonetheless."

"Perhaps I'm asking a strange question. But, have you ever considered what would happen if a Noble and a Werewolf mated? Werewolves have the immense strength, and regeneration, in addition to immense aura. Nobles lack that immense regeneration, but have the ability to hypnotize enemies, and other seemingly magical abilities. I discovered copious piles of notes and theories on interspecies mating between Nobles, and generational changes that would result in the Tradio laboratories.

"Perhaps it is time for the two families, so to speak, to join together. I'm certain that the Union is pondering the same thing. The Union still has Ignes Kravei as a Noble, and possesses many powerful Nobles. They could easily run experiments to that effect."

"Raskreia…"

"Yes, Raizel?"

"You're rambling."

"O-oh! I-I guess I'm interested in the subject. L-let's keep walking." Raskreia muttered shyly, blushing. Raizel smiled, kissing Raskreia on the lips to stop her from talking.

"You're beautiful when you're flustered." Raizel said, taking her hand, standing up and walking with her through the park.

"Frankenstein… I am feeling exhaustion of late."

Frankenstein gasped, and pulled out a chair for Raizel to sit down, rushing to the kitchen to get him some tea. After coming back, and setting the tea and snacks in front of Raizel, he stood there, waiting for his master's permission.

"Please sit, Frankenstein."

"Thank you, Master." The blonde scientist said, sitting across from Raizel.

"Please elaborate on your exhaustion, if you would be so kind?" Frankenstein requested. Raizel took his time, taking a sip of tea, and eating one of the cookies.

"I care about the children deeply. But, their fast paced lifestyle is wearing on me. They run everywhere. They yell rather than talk. They never seem to need to take a break. It seems as though all humans share this trait."

"Humans are quite intent on getting where they are going, and sometimes forget to simply enjoy the journey. I was like that when I was younger, always in a rush to discover, to innovate, to learn. My life went by in a blur. Until I met you. They often don't realize until it is too late that they hurried through everything and didn't really take pleasure in any of it. You could take some time off from school to rest and recover, if you like, Master. It's not like you go to school out of obligation."

"Raskreia suggested the same thing. I enjoy their company. But I am worried that I am… What humans call burning out."

"Master… I really wish you would consider taking some time off from school. I don't wish to see you get sick. I know it's unlikely, given your powers. But, they're largely untested, and you need to take it easy while you acclimate to them."

"This is what you want?" Raizel asked. Frankenstein's eyes widened slightly. Was his master relenting to his wishes?

"Yes, Master."

"Then I will stay home for a little while. How long is considered appropriate?"

"I would suggest a week. We will see how you feel at the end, and consider what to do from there."

"Thank you." Raizel said quietly. Frankenstein smiled at his master.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"So, Principal Lee… Is Rai feeling alright? He's not here today…" Yuna asked quietly. Frankenstein smiled politely.

"Yes… But… He's feeling a little bit ill, and didn't want to get you guys sick as well. I don't advise you come over after school. It wouldn't do for you to be getting ill along with him."

"Oh, we understand, right guys?" Shinwoo asked, though Frankenstein sensed that Shinwoo wasn't done asking questions.

"I'll be right with you. I need to talk to Principal Lee about my training…" Shinwoo said. The others all ran off to class, and Shinwoo faced Frankenstein.

"Okay, Principal Lee… I know that biousers can't get sick. We're avatars of a disease to begin with. What's really up with Rai?"

"Master is just feeling a little bit overwhelmed by the fast paced life that you and the other children lead. He woke up after 820 years of sleeping. You're learning about the Middle Ages in school. It was much slower, and even more so in the world of the Nobles.

"Lukedonia always just moved along at its own pace, ignoring the world around them, and by and large being ignored unless the world needed Nobles for protection. Then, 820 years later, he wakes up, and realizes that not only is the human world much busier and more powerful than he ever could have imagined. The people are powerful enough to defend themselves, and Nobles have become beyond obsolete, but even unwanted.

"How would you feel if you went to sleep one day and woke up to find that humans were a species of a bygone era? It would be sad, wouldn't it? And then imagine if everything was going at a breakneck pace compared to the era you fell asleep in? You may be powerful, but you would feel largely helpless, right?"

"I… I never thought of it that way. I never knew we were upsetting Rai so much…"

"You're not upsetting him. He enjoys spending time with you because you make him feel normal, a feeling that he was never able to experience when he was in Lukedonia. I'm happy that he's found friends who can accept him so easily."

"Rai's really one of our best friends. Is he going to go back to Lukedonia?"

"I doubt it… Not unless he's really needed there, in which case he would go immediately. Miss Seira seems to really like the necklace you gave her. She polishes it every night with a special polish that Master made using his biomass."

"I'm glad. Thanks for the necklace… You probably could've made a lot of money off of it if you had sold it."

"Please… The last thing I need is more money. I've accumulated money enough for five lifetimes… Speaking of which, how are you keeping clothes on your back?" Frankenstein asked.

"Well, I've opened up a weapons business… Please, it's not what you think. The biomass that I stole from Tesamu gave me a wide array of skills, not least of which included making authentic swords. I can make katanas, and other Japanese style weapons. I can make pretty much any style of sword, really.

"I also make training weapons, bokken and other 'wooden' and 'foam' weapons out of biomass. With a little help, mainly from Ikhan, I made an internet business, and I advertise on Facebook, and other social networking pages. People have flocked to my business because I sell them inexpensively. They're free for me to make, and I can make them with any design the client asks for, in any color.

"Frankly, I had no idea that my business would be this popular, but I recently got an order for 500 katana bokken, 500 wakizashi bokken and 500 tanto bokken. So, I'm really up to my neck in orders. So, instead of making each bokken individually, I simply made a giant block of biomass and programmed it to transform itself into the necessary proportions."

"That's very creative, Han Shinwoo. Your business seems like an excellent idea… And you're keeping track of all your income for the purpose of taxes?"

"I've kept all the order forms in a tesseract filing cabinet. I keep a file for each month."

"Have you considered just keeping them in a digital file? It would take up much less space, and you could easily use your Bioenergy Manipulation to create a Next Generation computer… I could help with the knowledge… Here. I'll suppress my Dark Spear for the time so you can absorb the knowledge." Frankenstein said, grabbing Shinwoo's arm. Shinwoo's Bioenergy Manipulation automatically kicked into gear, and took the knowledge Frankenstein was thinking of.

Shinwoo's brain immediately took the knowledge, and began to work with it, adding it to the knowledge that he had gotten from Tesamu, and the knowledge that Tesamu got from all the other scientists in the Union, and he had a perfect image of a computer… Sleek and simple, but able to hold nearly 100 Petabytes of data. He would continue working on his model, and maybe someday he could sell next generation computers, and really make a killing.

Money wasn't a huge issue. But Shinwoo figured that he may as well get used to making money now. He had his whole life ahead of him, and considering how very long that life was liable to be. Suddenly, the bell for first period rang.

"Gotta go, Principal Lee! Thanks for telling me about Rai… I'll try to slow down for him."

"If you want to. You're under no obligation."

"I know… But it's only right. Later…" Shinwoo said, rushing to first period, which he slept through. He knew everything in the classes, so the teachers didn't even worry anymore. They had been told by Frankenstein that Shinwoo was a 'special case', and that he wasn't cheating.

The children were walking to the PC Bang after school. They were short Raskreia and Raizel, but Seira and Regis were there, as well as Suyi and Yuna, the latter of whom seemed much more relaxed now. In fact, of late, she had been feeling much better. She said she was getting counseling, and her therapist was helping her work through everything. Suddenly, though, Shinwoo felt an unwelcome presence. His eyes narrowed, and Seira and Regis seemed to notice as well.

"I'll… Catch up with you guys in a bit… I… I forgot something at school." Shinwoo lied, looking up directly at the source of the disturbance. The source seemed to flicker, and disappear, reappearing behind a street sign, before walking up to Shinwoo, smiling politely. Something about this man's smile set Shinwoo's skin prickling. This man seemed to have a predatory look about him, something that just didn't fit in with normal humans.

"Hello, young man… I've seen your skill in martial arts. I could make you a star… Professional martial arts tournaments, starring in movies… Anything you want could be yours."

"I… I'm sorry? It's almost like you're serious." Shinwoo laughed. The man smirked.

"Ahaha! Of course I'm serious." The man said, looking from Shinwoo to Seira, his eyes widening.

"Ah, Miss Seira… It's such a pleasure to see you again. Your emotionless stare, those gorgeous ruby red eyes… You truly could turn any man into a fool for…"

"Hey! Asshole! That's my girlfriend you're hitting on! I'm not telling you twice!" Shinwoo demanded angrily. Yuri smirked.

"Girlfriend? No, I seriously doubt that. You may not be bad looking, and you may be good at martial arts, but you're nowhere near qualified to be her boyfriend…"

"He is my boyfriend…" Seira said simply. "And treacherous snake is not my type." Seira finished. Yuri's eyes widened.

"I take it you aren't going to come willingly, then, Han Shinwoo?"

"You guessed right. You'll have to take me by force… If you think you can."

"Oh, I have ways of forcing compliance." Yuri said, throwing a small egg at Shinwoo's feet, which burst, and released a cloud of vapor. Shinwoo gasped, breathing in some of the drug. He knew that he would be completely unaffected by drugs, but he grabbed Seira to protect her. Seira seemed not to be half so immune to the toxin that had been released. Suddenly she went slack, her face going blank, her eyes glazing over and seeming to have no thoughts in her head.

"Sorry… Didn't work."

"Hm… That's impressive. I used a double dose of Devil's Breath on you. I'm not an especially strong combatant, so I prefer to subdue my opponents using the path of least resistance. Miss Seira seems to have been affected, though.

"She may be a Noble, but she's not immune to drugs. I don't know how you managed to beat this drug. However, I doubt you can keep up with a modified human…" Yuri said, smiling wickedly, moving rapidly and grabbing Seira's arm.

Shinwoo reacted immediately, though, kicking Yuri in the chest, sending him flying.

"A slimy, arrogant pig like you doesn't have the right to touch Seira! Touch her again, and I'll enact Hammurabi's Code on you!" Shinwoo yelled furiously, punching the air and sending Yuri, who had just stood up, flying again using powerful telekinesis, practically crushing Yuri's ribcage.

"And stay away!" Shinwoo roared, his roar breaking the sound barrier, and destroying windows surrounding them, crumpling metal and cracking pavement.

Shinwoo grabbed Seira tightly, teleporting away to Frankenstein's home, where he rang the bell. It was Raskreia who answered.

"Hey, Ras! Let us in! Seira's been drugged! I need to see Principal Lee right now!"

"Very well. But don't speak too loudly. Cadis Etrama DiRaizel is resting currently. You wouldn't want to anger Frankenstein by disturbing Raizel, would you?"

"N-no… I wouldn't…" Shinwoo said, walking through the gate, manipulating the particles of his body to make himself and Seira intangible, so he could walk right through.

As soon as he got inside, he hurried downstairs with Frankenstein, putting Seira on the gurney so that Frankenstein could look at her.

"Shinwoo… You could have healed her just fine on your own…" Frankenstein said with a concerned look, rolling Seira's eyelid back and seeing bloodshot eyes, feeling her head and detecting a slight fever.

"Do you know what kind of poison it is?" The blonde scientist asked. Shinwoo nodded.

"The man said something about Devil's Breath. He said he used a double dose."

"Hmm… That is serious. If you hadn't been there, he could have simply commanded her to follow him, and she would have obeyed without question.

"Devil's Breath, or Scopolamine, known by its chemical name of Hyoscine Hydrobromide is known to rob a victim of their free will, and cause anterograde amnesia afterwards. So she would not even remember agreeing to follow him…"

"Yeah, yeah! That's great and all… Can you help her?"

"Of course. We just need to flush her body of the drug. Her body is already fighting the foreign chemicals better than any human could. She just needs a little push. Touch Miss Seira's forehead, or… Any part of her body, really, and inject her with some biomass. She has, to now refused to become a Biouser, or even accept any regeneration. But, you could send some biomass through her, forcing the drug to go through her system in a matter of seconds, rather than days.

"Then, the biomass would leave her body, and she might not even be any the wiser." Frankenstein said with a laugh. Shinwoo scowled.

"I'm not gonna lie to Seira! That may be your deal, but it's not mine!"

"I can respect that, Han Shinwoo… But… You're going to live a very long life. Potentially until the end of time. It wouldn't hurt to learn how to say one thing and mean another.

"It's not called lying. It's called protecting your best interests." Frankenstein said.

"Han Shinwoo… I haven't had an apprentice in over 800 years… Well, other than Tao… And, he's more like an occasional assistant rather than an apprentice. I'd like to teach you what I know about human modification. I believe that if anyone could learn how to modify humans like I can, it's you.

"So, the first thing I want you to do is read all these books." Frankenstein said, gesturing to a huge shelf of books, many of them looking like they were bound by hand.

"How am I supposed to carry that many books?" Shinwoo asked derisively. Frankenstein laughed.

"Well… How does your apartment hold so many sales invoice files?"

"I… Turned the file cabinet into a Tesseract… I guess I'll do that."

"Good… How quickly do you think you can read the books?"

Well… Lately I've been able to read five large books in a night. So… I should be able to do it in less than two weeks, assuming optimal conditions."

"Great. Read all fifty books in ten days and commit them to memory." Frankenstein said, looking at Shinwoo as if to tell Shinwoo that he knew what he needed to do.

"R-right… I won't lie to Seira… But I can't leave her to suffer, either. She might get mad… Please tell her that I did this for her." Shinwoo said.

"You'll be able to tell her yourself." Frankenstein said, looking at Shinwoo approvingly as he touched her arm, injecting her with a small amount of Biomass.

"It's my fault she's sick. I had omnikinesis. If I had thought to use it against that man, I could have easily dispelled the vapor. But I didn't. Seira probably hates me, now. I not only didn't protect her, but I also didn't listen to her wishes. I injected her with regenerative healing biomass…"

"You what?" Seira asked, her eyes opening.

"Seira! You're alright!" Shinwoo cried. Seira nodded, sitting up and putting a hand on her forehead. It was splitting like a quart of wood.

"You gave me regeneration? Why? I specifically told you that I didn't want it. Nobles already have a limited level of regeneration on their own. We don't regenerate nearly as well as Werewolves. But we heal much faster than humans.

"I would have been fine by tomorrow…"

"I know… But… I didn't want to see you suffer for my ineptitude, Seira… The biomass should become inert and leave your system within the hour…"

"That is besides the point. Shinwoo… I'm not angry at you for forgetting about your powers. That could happen to anyone. I am annoyed because you specifically didn't listen to me.

"But… your concern for me was admirable. I'm not really that angry, I suppose. Tell me, Shinwoo… How does it feel to have the kind of power that you do?" Seira asked, rubbing her head. It was still splitting, and she felt slightly ill… She could tell that this would subside soon. So, she wasn't terribly concerned.

"Well… It probably feels a lot like being a Noble. It's nice to have the kind of power that allows me to protect those that matter to me, but… Winning a battle is distinctly unsatisfying when I could probably win it blindfolded with both arms and legs tied and a muzzle on. There's not as big a thrill in life anymore.

"I mainly live for you guys, especially you, Seira… I love you, and I understand why you don't want to be modified. I feel bad that I didn't listen to you and I injected you with regenerative biomass. But I would do it again in an instant." Shinwoo said. Seira couldn't deny that his honesty was one of his more endearing traits.

She felt that she could trust him unconditionally, at least to tell the truth, if not to take her requests seriously.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, SHE ESCAPED!?" Maduke roared, the room positively shaking with the current Werewolf Lord's rage. He pounded the arm of his chair, crushing it into dust.

"L-Lord… Garda woke up in the tube! She… She destroyed it, and killed all of the guards watching it, including several werewolves."

Maduke's grip tightened on the other arm, cracking it. For a moment, the werewolves who reported this were sure that he was going to kill them. But then he sighed and actually laughed.

"Crombel told me this might happen… Ahahaha!" Maduke said, still chuckling.

"Put him on the line for me…" Maduke finished. The computer began dialing.

"Doctor Crombel. How may I help you?" Crombel asked, smiling in a deceptively friendly manner.

"Crombel…"

"2nd Elder… What can I do for you?" Crombel asked politely, adjusting his glasses. Overall, his glasses were just for show. His vision was better than perfect, having been modified.

"Did you ever put that tracking chip in Subject F-481?"

"Yes, now that you mention it. I apologize for not telling you sooner. I wouldn't want there to be bad blood between us."

"I don't appreciate you acting on a member of my Family without my approval. But in this case… It happens to be for the best.

"Garda has escaped the Union base that she was held at. Please take no action personally, Ninth Elder."

"Of course, Second Elder." Crombel said politely, adjusting his glasses again.

"Juraki… Garda has escaped from the lab."

"Yes, Lord…"

"I want you to observe her. Do not approach, and do not allow your aura to be detected. She may not be as powerful as Muzaka. But she was trained by him personally. She is not to be underestimated. You will observe her, and run reconnaissance. Learn all that you can about where she goes."

"I understand, Lord."

"I have to find Muzaka…" Garda said, tears filling her eyes at being able to see Muzaka again after all that time. She had heard what happened between him and the Noblesse, and at what happened to his daughter, and Garda's heart broke for him.

"Excuse me, sir… Have you ever seen this man?" Garda asked, holding up a picture that she had drawn of Muzaka. The stranger had to admit that she was incredibly talented at drawing. She had shaded the picture perfectly.

"Hmm… The face looks familiar. What color is his hair?"

"Silver."

"And his eyes?"

"Blue-grey."

"Aha! I knew it! I saw that man with a bunch of kids a few weeks ago walking into the local PC Bang."

"PC Bang? What's a PC?"

"Um… A-a computer…"

"What's a computer?"

"Um… Are… Are you joking?" The young man asked, seeming terribly confused by this particular question.

"No, sir. Is it a type of weapon? Is that why they call it a PC 'Bang'?"

"No, no… It's a box shaped machine that has a screen on it. When you turn it on, you can go on the internet and play games."

"So it's magic."

"Well… Not exactly. Do you see this?" He asked, showing her his cell phone. He couldn't deny that it was nice to talk to such a beautiful woman like this. He would never tell his friend that he was talking like this to her. Garda was exactly Kumiko's type. She looked over his shoulder, observing the phone, cocking her head. It was a strange piece of… Metal?

"Yes… What is it?"

"It's an iPhone. Here…" He said, dialing his friend and handing her the phone.

"Put it up to your ear."

"Hello? Jung Seong?"

"Holy shit! Are you trapped in there!? I'll get you out!" Garda shouted into the mouth piece, about to throw it on the ground and stomp on it. Jung Seong stopped her, though, grabbing her arm.

"No, no, no, no, no! That's my friend, Kumiko! She's probably over a mile away right now! You can use a phone to talk to people from anywhere in the world."

"And… You do that with computers as well?"

"Sort of. I can go on the internet with my phone. See? I just press this button on the screen, and boom. I can go on Facebook… Or I can play games if I want."

"Magic…" Garda gasped.

"You're… Kinda behind the times, aren't you?"

"Well, what year is it?"

"Um… 2014…"

"822 years…" Garda gasped.

"Sorry?"

"I've been asleep for 822 years…"

"Ahaha! You're funny… So, you're like a vampire, or something?"

"A Werewolf. Do humans still know about us? Never mind. I really need to find this man. What did his companions look like?"

"Well, Two had pure white hair and blood red eyes. The white haired girl was with a red haired kid, and they were all students at Ye Ran High School. And Werewolves are mostly seen as monsters of legend."

"High School? Is that a prison? A training camp? Do they indoctrinate their trainees there?"

"Well… Depending on who you ask, it could be a little of both… It's a learning facility. They teach history, and math, foreign languages, science."

"It sounds agonizingly painful and inhumane. Parents actually send their children there willingly?"

"Ummm… Yeah?"

"Where is this… Ye Ran High School?"

"I can take you there if you like. School should still be in session."

"If school is in session, why aren't you in school?" Garda asked.

"Well, I graduated already. I'm in college."

"I see… Well, take me to this Ye Ran High School, then. Maybe I'll find who I'm looking for."

"Well… Here we are… Are you sure you won't just hang out with Kumiko and me for a little while? I think Kumi-chan would really like you. You're totally her type."

"Pardon? Her type? Her type of what?"

"You know… Um…" He said, holding his pinky up. Garda raised an eyebrow.

"You're just the kind of woman she'd be attracted to. She'd probably ask you out in a heartbeat."

"Oh… OH! No, no… Thank you, but… I'm not into women. Not even a little."

"I understand. Maybe I'll see you around sometime. Later… Oh, by the way, what's your name?"

"Garda… My name is Garda."

"Guard-a… Interesting name. Well… Later…" He said, and Garda turned and walked into the school grounds.

"Excuse me. May I ask why you're here, Miss?" M-21 asked cautiously, prepared to fight if necessary. She certainly wasn't a normal human. She was far too powerful for that.

"I… I had heard that this was where Muzaka was living these days? Perhaps you could help me find him, sir?" Garda asked politely. M-21's eyes narrowed.

"Who are you?" he asked, one hand hidden behind his back, already beginning to transform.

"My name is Garda. I was… I don't know if I would say Muzaka and I were close, but we were certainly acquainted in the past.

"And who are you? You feel like a Werewolf, but you're clearly not one. Are you one of the Union's pet projects?"

"Get out of this school!"

"Please… I'd just like to speak to Muzaka if he's here. I can wait here for your master if you can't authorize my entry." Garda said politely. M-21 glared at her.

"I'll take you to our boss…" M-21 said, not seeming terribly happy about it. However, he turned and strode away from her, and Garda followed, the two of them going through the halls, and eventually ending up at the principal's office.

"Come in. I see we have a guest…" Frankenstein said politely. However, his eyes narrowed when he realized that Garda was a Werewolf.

"I don't know who you are, or why you're here. But you have no business with the children of my school." Frankenstein said, looking at Muzaka, whose mouth was hanging open.

"Garda?"

"My Lord! It's an honor to see you again…" Garda said, as soon as the door was closed, bowing deferentially to Muzaka, who laughed and stood.

"Please… Don't bow to me. I'm not the Werewolf Lord anymore. Didn't you hear the news? Maduke took my place."

"You'll always be the Lord in my eyes, sir. Um, Schoolmaster… May I have a moment to speak with Muzaka?"

"Yes." Raizel said immediately, standing up, and walking out of the room. The rest of the group, inherently beholden to Raizel, followed suit, including Frankenstein, who decided he may as well get some fresh air. He usually didn't bother because of how often he had to be out in the city, fighting off the Union.

"Muzaka… It's wonderful to see you again… I-I was devastated when I heard about what happened to you."

"Why?" asked Muzaka, raising an eyebrow, slightly confused. He wasn't entirely sure what she was talking about. Did she mean his daughter's death? His fight with Raizel? Or maybe his overthrow as the Lord of the Werewolves.

The third, he didn't really care about. What did rank really matter? He was still going to kill Maduke, regardless of who was Lord. As for his daughter, he would soon get closure on that, and his fight with Raizel, that had been brought to an acceptable conclusion. They were friends, again, and even living under the same roof.

"I-I… You mean you don't know?" Garda asked, seeming slightly hurt that it hadn't been as glaringly obvious to Muzaka as it had been to all the other Werewolves in the Clan.

"What don't I know? If it's important to you, I'd like to know. It seems important."

"I-I… Was upset about it… Because, well… I-I love you. I tried to get you to notice it, but… I guess you were away from the Clan so much that… You never did."

For a minute, Muzaka didn't say anything. He was too shocked by this sudden revelation. He had always known that she respected and admired him. She had always been his most loyal follower. She was the one who always told him when the Werewolves had done something that he wouldn't have approved of. It was always she that was ostracized by the other Werewolves because of her loyalty to his peaceful, non-intrusive philosophy.

But, he had never guessed that she harbored romantic feelings for him. Was this how Raizel felt? Did he not know until it was too late that Edian loved him? How did Raizel feel upon realizing that, or maybe he knew it all along but just didn't return the sentiment.

"I'm… I'm flattered… I don't know what to say…"

"Would you at least do me the honor of taking me on a date? I only ask for one."

"Sure… That sounds like fun. Maybe after school. I'm a security guard here."

"You're a soldier for this school?"

"In a sense. I protect the school from invaders. That grey haired man you were accosted by is also a security guard. Our main job is to keep order in the school, not to fight.

"It's a fairly easy job. It pays pretty well, and Frankenstein allows us to stay in his home as long as we work for him."

"I see… What about those Nobles… Were they security guards as well?"

"No. They're guests. The slate haired woman was the Lord of the Nobles. The black haired man was the Noblesse, and the two silver haired students were clan leaders."

"But they… They look so young… How could they possibly be such high ranking Nobles?"

"I could say the same of you. But you're over 1,000 years old."

"Point taken."

"That said, I think the silver haired children are much younger. I get the feeling they haven't even reached three centuries, much less the five or more that most of the Clan Leaders have"

"That young?" Garda exclaimed. Muzaka nodded.

"Yes. Frankenstein, you can come back in, now. I apologize for kicking you out. Do you think I could ask a favor of you? I know it's not my place, but… Perhaps we can offer Garda a home? Where did you come from, anyway, Garda?"

"The Union had me in a glass tube of some kind. It was easy enough to break, but they're surely looking for me. The Lord of the Werewolves is currently one of the Elders of the Union.

"He won't be easy to get to, much less defeat. I'll help all that I can, though."

"She can stay." Raizel said laconically. Frankenstein gave a forced smile. With yet another person, his house would be quite crowded. He had enough space to fit everyone. However, it would take some figuring out to fit everyone in the dining room, especially if Shinwoo and his friends came over.

"Principal, can I talk to you for a moment?" Shinwoo asked. Frankenstein nodded, and walked into the other room with him, making sure that they weren't overheard.

"Principal, I sense that there's more than a mundane master-servant relationship between you and Rai. What is the nature of your relationship?"

"Are you asking if it's romantic? Or are you asking if there's something supernatural bonding us?"

"Um… Th-the latter… There seems to be a powerful bond between the two of you, and I can't discern exactly what the nature of the energy is."

"Ah… Of course… It makes sense that you'd be curious. You're quite perceptive to be able to detect Master's energy in me. You've become very adept at using your Bioenergy Manipulation. I'm quite proud. But to the point, I'm Master's bonded. He and I made a formal blood contract sealing our relationship."

"So, like… Blood Brothers? You and he cut yourselves and shared blood?"

"Hardly something so vulgar. It did involve blood. I cut myself and bled in Master's tea. Master sensed the blood, and asked if I was ready to make the contract with him. I said that I was. So, rather than the blood being the means, it was really more like the blood was just a token of submission.

"Technically, the blood isn't required if neither party believes that it's required… However, as no such Noble exists that doesn't believe that, the Blood acts as a vessel for the contract."

"So, you bled in Rai's tea, and he made you into a blood servant?"

"Something like that. Why do you ask?"

"I-I wondered if Seira and I could do something like that."

"You could… However, it is a huge commitment to make, especially for one so young. Imagine that the Blood Contract is completely unbreakable. There will be an indelible bond between the two of you, and it can never be broken as far as I know, or at least, I have never heard of a way.

"I was serving Master for almost thirty years before I officially made a contract with him, and it was the most intense experience I have ever felt. Not all humans are ready for it. I would honestly suggest you wait. I can't force you to heed me. But, it would behoove you to become more experienced with your own power, and more settled in your relationship with Miss Seira before you take that huge step."

"I… Understand. By the way, who is that rusty red haired woman? She's new, isn't she?"

"Yes. Her name is Garda. She's a Werewolf, and was a very loyal follower of Muzaka, back when he was still the Werewolf Lord. In fact, when Maduke overthrew Muzaka, she was betrayed by her people because of her loyalty to the previous Lord. She was brought to the Union, and has been in stasis for 822 years, approximately."

"I see. That's a pretty long time. How did they keep her asleep for that long? With her level of regeneration, she would have passed any drug through her system in seconds."

"I think you underestimate the Union's power. Their ability to control their enemies is strong… And Maduke is an Elder of the Union."

"Maduke is an Elder? So, does he have a beef with Muzaka or something?" Shinwoo asked. Frankenstein laughed.

"Why would you ask that?"

"It's just common sense. Maduke hated Muzaka for something, so he tried to kill him and take his place as leader."

"Well, it's not that simple… It never is. Maduke isn't nearly strong enough to kill or even injure Muzaka. You see, Muzaka is, or was feared the world over as a man who could decimate entire armies singlehandedly. Muzaka could release hypersonic howls that could destroy buildings.

"His body was strong enough to punch through steel. No Werewolf alive could defeat him in single combat. He was like a god to his people. But they resented him because he refused to allow them to use their power to rule humans. Maduke, on the other hand, had been working secretly with humans for a long time.

"In addition, Muzaka was rarely in his homeland. He enjoyed travelling the world, and seeing all there was to see. So the Werewolves spent a great deal of time on their own recognizance. Maduke had a number of Werewolves that were loyal to him, as well, and while Garda tried to keep an eye on Muzaka's followers, she couldn't stop them from helping humans during war, and taking advantage of humans' weakness. Still, none of them could defeat Muzaka in single combat as was required to become the Lord.

"So, Maduke came up with another plan. Because Muzaka had one weakness. He had a daughter, perhaps 12 or 13 years old at most. She was a half-Werewolf and had not yet reached her first transformation. She…"

"Frankenstein… Why are you telling him this?"

"Well… I believe he can help you seek your revenge against Maduke."

"I don't want revenge. I want closure. Revenge wouldn't make me feel better. But justice is sweet. Revenge will only poison you, even as you're killing your enemy… I wish I could have seen that 820 years ago, before I hurt Raizel like I did. But I was so blinded with rage that I couldn't see what was right in front of me… Shinwoo… I had a daughter once. Ashlyn was her name. She was very talented, but… Still not a full Werewolf yet.

"She would have reached her first transformation in a few months at most if she hadn't been murdered. It was Werewolves who killed her. But they didn't transform. Instead, they shot her with a crossbow bolt so that I would believe that it was humans who killed her. They planned for me to want revenge against humans, and for Raizel to try to stop me, and of course, for him to kill me.

"It didn't work that way. I ended up forcing him into an 820 year hibernation. We only met up again recently, but as enemies again. Even more recently, I rebelled against the Union. They can't stop me. But, now, I think they're using Garda against me. Frankenstein, there's something off about her. I only just realized it. But I think they're monitoring us through her."

"Oh, dear. Well, there must be some monitoring device inside her. I'll run a diagnostic scan on her. They probably know where we live, now. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't treat her to the best of my ability. She is truthfully, very pretty, Muzaka. You're very lucky that she's so loyal to you."

"You knew, then?"

"The minute she looked at you with those longing eyes. I'm surprised a man as ancient and perceptive as you didn't notice. Bring her down to my lab. Tao will know where it is." Frankenstein said quietly.

"Shinwoo, have you?"

"Yes…"

"But… You didn't even let me finish." Frankenstein said quietly. Shinwoo rolled his eyes.

"But I knew what you were going to say, nevertheless. You were going to ask if I had memorized those books. I have. Several of them looked like they were written by you. They didn't have any references, or copyright information. You really did literally write the book on human modification, didn't you?"

"In a sense. My skill in modification was centuries ahead of anyone else's, and still is. But come down to the lab with me, I'll allow you to be my assistant. Wash your hands thoroughly, and put on latex gloves. Don't touch anything after you have."

"Sure thing, Principal Lee…"

"Now, Garda, we believe that there's a tracking device inside of you. Where, we're not certain. We're going to run a diagnostic scan. If we can simply use an EMP on you to destroy the tracking node, then we will. Otherwise, we'll excise it surgically. Do you understand, Garda? You've already led the Union to our front door, and to our school. I don't blame you for that. But we can't allow you to lead the Union to any more of our locations."

"Wouldn't an EMP be terribly damaging to a living body?" Shinwoo asked. "After all, the Central Nervous System runs on electrical impulses. An EMP would throw that out of wack, and could even damage the brain electronically." Garda seemed concerned about this, but she didn't try to get up. Frankenstein nodded.

"Well put. We'll try other methods of removing the tracking node. But it may be unavoidable. Fortunately, Garda's high level of regeneration should allow her resistance at least against undue damage. I'm sorry, Garda. It will probably hurt… Terribly. But it may be necessary." Frankenstein said. Garda nodded as well,

"I understand. Anything I can do for you, for Muzaka, I will."

"Good. Just stay still, and the scanner will X-Ray your body." Frankenstein replied. Garda nodded.

"Shinwoo… Start the machine, if you know how."

Shinwoo nodded, and put in the specific orders. The machine hummed quietly, and slowly scanned Garda. She was beautiful, alright. There was no doubting that. But nobody could take Seira's place in his heart.

Once the machine was done scanning, they realized that the tracking machine was in her chest, attached to her heart."

"Very well. I think this should be easy enough to remove. It's on the heart, but… With your regeneration, and a little luck, you should be fine."

"Luck is something I don't need. Just cut me open."

"You're very brave, and very loyal. I can appreciate both qualities. Shinwoo… Bring me my surgical laser. It should be in the second drawer from the left."

"Sure thing, Headmaster." Shinwoo said, taking out the laser, plugging it in, and handing it to Frankenstein, who pulled Shinwoo closer.

"There's only so much you can learn from books. The rest, you need to learn from experience."

"Aren't you going to numb her?" Shinwoo asked. Frankenstein shook his head.

"It wouldn't do any good. Any anesthesia would simply be ejected from her system in seconds because of her regeneration. Actually, you could create an anesthesia that would work on her. Take my hand, and I'll give you the necessary knowledge."

"Okay. Cool." Shinwoo said, removing his glove, and taking Frankenstein's hand. Frankenstein thought of exactly what Shinwoo would need, and Shinwoo absorbed the knowledge. Shinwoo started working on the anesthetic, and, after a few minutes of working, he finished, creating a syringe, and filling it with a liquefied version of the biomass based drug. He then felt around Garda's arm for a good vein, and finally cleaned it with alcohol and injected her.

"This still won't last longer than half an hour, if my calculations are correct. Maybe a little less… Not likely more." Shinwoo said. Frankenstein nodded as Garda nodded off, and had her shirt removed. Frankenstein looked at her with a medical practitioner's detachment. He took the laser, and was about to turn it on when the doorbell rang. Frankenstein cursed. He didn't have time for this. He ignored it, and opened Garda up, ignoring the sounds upstairs.

He felt around inside her chest, and found the tiny machine. It was smaller than Garda's pinky nail, and Frankenstein deftly grasped it, and fiddled a little bit, loosening it, pulling it out. There was a small amount of bleeding from the heart directly before it closed up perfectly. He then closed up the incision, and watched as it healed over perfectly without a hint of ever having existed.

Shinwoo helped hold her up so that they could put some clothes on her again. They put her in one of Raskreia's informal dresses. Shinwoo went upstairs and talked to Raskreia. She said it was fine. Raskreia was taller than Garda, but about the same measurements, so she fit for the time. Shinwoo probably could have made tailor fit clothes given time. But, they didn't have that much time before she woke up.

About twenty minutes after they had put her to sleep, she woke up. Shinwoo had been sure that he had been slightly off in terms of time.

"Well, we have good news and bad news, Garda…" Shinwoo said cheerfully. "Which do you want first?"

"The bad news. Then the good news will make the bad news not seem as bad."

"Okay, bad news, we had to cut your clothes off. They're completely ruined. We opted for speed rather than subtlety."

"Okay… That's not so bad. What's the good news?"

"Good news. We got the tracker out with no complications. You won't even have a scar."

"That is good news. Whose clothes am I in right now? They're very fancy."

"Those are Ras's clothes. She's the Lord of the Nobles. She said she doesn't mind."

"I-I'm… Wearing such an important woman's clothes? I can't take her clothes. How did you even get them?"

"I stole them from her room." Shinwoo joked.

"You did _what!?_ "

"Joking! Joking! I asked her if I could borrow them. She asked why. I told her that you needed some clothes temporarily. She said just to return them. She likes that dress."

"O-of course… I'm sorry that I endangered all of you by entering your home while I was being tracked."

"Don't worry. Raizel's Knights can take care of most threats to the home and the city."

As Frankenstein said this, they received a message from upstairs. It was urgent, and actually somewhat frightening. Tao sounded upset. Frankenstein removed his gloves, washed his hands and sanitized them with alcohol, then removed his lab coat, which was stained with blood, threw it in a basket, and went upstairs.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"What's wrong… What are you doing here!?" Frankenstein demanded, seeing the Fifth Elder sitting on the couch, enjoying some tea along with the others, though she was being watched suspiciously, not least by M-21, who seemed to be waiting for an excuse to attack her.

"I know this looks suspicious. Yes, I did get your location from the tracker in Garda. No, I'm not here to fight. I know I don't stand a chance against this elite force of fighters."

"Then why are you here?" Frankenstein asked, his eyes narrowing. Lunark sighed.

"Because I've been asked… Well, commanded, really, to do something I'm not comfortable with by the current Lord of the Werewolves. He wants me to allow myself to be modified, and then to attempt to assassinate Muzaka. I must confess, I have no grudge against you, Muzaka. I feel no resentment toward you. I have heard the stories about how much of a pacifist you were.

"I heard stories that you were a traitor to the Werewolf Clan. I don't know what to believe. But you never betrayed me personally. I followed Maduke into the Union because I respected him, and because, as one of his strongest followers, I was commanded to do so. I was made an Elder almost immediately because of my strength and skill. Now, I've been commanded to use this to assassinate you." She said, holding up a black bullet.

Frankenstein took it from her and slipped it into his pocket He would observe it in the laboratory later, dissect it if necessary.

"There's no need to study it. It's a biomass bullet. The First Elder, though Shinwoo tried to terminate him, is still alive, and created a bullet out of biomass that can halt Muzaka's regeneration, and make him unable to transform if it hits his heart.

"Since it was programmed to seek out the target's heart, it would be child's play to do so. Thereafter, it would be a simple matter to fire another bullet into his head, and another into his heart. That should kill him. But, I'm not comfortable with such cowardly behavior. Assassinating an enemy from a distance like a simple sniper is not the Werewolf way.

"I want to warn you, and possibly to work with you if you would allow me. I would consent to any safety measures you deem necessary, of course. I'm aware that I'm not high on your list of people to trust."

"She's not lying." Shinwoo said quietly. The group all looked at Shinwoo in surprise.

"I was looking at her thoughts while she was talking to you.

"So, either she was lied to, which is entirely possible, or she's telling the truth. Still, I'm not fully prepared to trust her. Tesamu did something really terrible to one of my best friends, and Yuna is still traumatized because of it."

"Shinwoo… She may lie to us. But I'm convinced that she wouldn't lie to Muzaka." Frankenstein said, giving him a meaningful look. Shinwoo immediately understood.

Garda was in love with Muzaka. Even if he didn't reciprocate her feelings, she wouldn't ever stop loving him.

"Now, Fifth Elder… Are you… Intent on staying here?" Frankenstein asked, privately hoping that she wasn't. She nodded.

"I need to escape from the Union. I won't play any part of their plans anymore.

"Frankly, I think it's been building for a while. Their goals, and the liberties that the Werewolves in the Union are willing to take with the Werewolves' code of honor is appalling, and I know that I will be in the same place that Muzaka is now, for saying this, but I don't want any part of this.

"Headmaster… Do you mind if I go out for a while?" Seira asked politely. Frankenstein laughed.

"Of course you can… You don't need to ask me, Miss Seira… You're free to go where you like… Just be back before it gets too late. You wouldn't want to be too tired to go to school tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, Headmaster…" Seira said quietly, bowing going to her room and putting on a nice dress before leaving.

"Hello, Shinwoo…" Seira said, walking in. She had been given the keys to Shinwoo's apartment with implicit permission to come in whenever she liked. Shinwoo jumped slightly in surprise, cursing, as his biomass sword sliced his hand open.

"Gaah! Fuck!" Shinwoo roared, his hand healing almost immediately. He turned back to the sword, beginning to rectify his mistake, rather than start at the beginning.

He was creating an actual katana out of raw biomass, using the Japanese method perfectly. He had pieced together the process from Tesamu's own skill, fighting with Yuizi, who was skilled in swordsmithing. He was allowed to copy one skill from her when he won, after all, and of course, from surfing the Deep Web, and getting some skill in making your own weapons there. 

After ten minutes, Shinwoo finally finished, and turned to Seira, smiling.

"Sorry about that…" Shinwoo said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to curse at you. I was surprised by you coming in."

"I understand. That sword must be very sharp." Seira replied, sitting down next to Shinwoo, and picking up the sword, sighing as she felt the blade, careful not to cut herself.

"It's beautiful. You're sending this through the mail? How long did it take to make it?"

"Not long, only three hours. I took extra time on this because the person asked for an uncommon length for the blade. The man is very tall. But, now it's finished. I'll add the tsuba and the tsuka, then wrap it in the same and tie the ito, and of course the saya."

"I'm sorry to say that I didn't understand any of that." Seira said. Shinwoo nodded.

"Different parts of the sword, including the handle and the scabbard. Furthermore, the sword is all but indestructible. I advertise on my site that it's made of a special blend of steel that resists damage… That's all a load of malarkey, of course. But I infuse it with extra biomass in the center so that if significant damage is done to it, it will begin to repair itself."

"Shinwoo… How much does this blade cost?" Seira asked. Shinwoo smirked.

"Twelve million Won (10,108.29 USD)." Shinwoo said. Seira's eyes widened slightly. That was really inexpensive for a custom made katana of such high quality."

"Is it battle ready?"

"Absolutely. He asked for it to be battle ready."

"That's not very expensive. You could easily charge twice that and people would still buy them. You're not worried about selling yourself short?"

"Why should I be? I'm making them from raw biomass, which is free. I need no tools, no fire, and no other source of heat. I require very little…

"I could practically give these away. But, I'm enjoying making this much money. I can buy anything I want, now. Besides, if I charged twice that, fewer people could buy them. It would end up being counterproductive.

"That said, I'm already making more money than I could possibly need. I don't need to eat or drink. I don't need to get a car, since I can teleport. I can make my own clothes with Biomass, though, I usually don't. I leave biomass lying around the house. It cleans the house for me, so I don't need to buy cleaning supplies. The apartment is always perfectly clean."

"That's good… Would you like to go out on a date tonight? I know it's short notice. But I was hoping we could spend some time together, even just go for a walk."

"Sure… That sounds like fun. I need to get some biomass, anyway." Shinwoo said, putting on his shoes, and taking Seira's hand, going out the door with her.

"Do you ever watch the stars, Seira?" Shinwoo asked. Seira shook her head. This gave Shinwoo a great idea. He took her as far out of town as he could, running as fast as possible without being obviously superhuman, all the while pulling Seira along with him. She was easily able to keep up with him at this pace.

After a short while, they made it to the outskirts of the city, and laid down in the field, staring at the stars.

"Do you see that constellation? It's the Little Dipper… At the end of it is the North Star. It was used by African slaves in the American South to escape bondage. They used the star because unlike the rest of the stars in the sky, the North Star was in the same place all year round, due to the fact that it is at the very zenith of the sky.

"It pointed North for them, and they went to the North, where there was no slavery. That constellation is Aries. It's my western Zodiac symbol. Aries babies are active, energetic, honest, brave, and curious. Some of their less endearing qualities are impulsive, impatient, and naive. The ruler of our sign is Mars, the God of War."

"Interesting. So humans determine their personalities based on the stars? Are they supernaturally bound to this definition, or is there flexibility in that determination?"

"What? No… Most people just see horoscopes as something fun to do, not as a concrete definition of a person's identity. What month were you born?"

"Humans would call it April. I was born on the 28th of April."

"You'd be a Taurus, then. You're diligent, logical, and romantic, but you tend toward dependence and prejudice. Your planet is Venus. Your constellation is right next to mine. See? Those stars make the shape of a bull's horns."

"What is Virgo, then?"

"Virgo is the virgin… Hey, if your birthday is April 28th, then I missed your birthday by a few days. I can't believe I never asked you."

"Nobles don't generally celebrate their birthdays… Not in the same way that humans do, anyway. We usually celebrate every year when we're infants, then… When we turn 100 or so, we usually only once every 5-10 years. They're small affairs that only include our families and closest friends. I don't expect a present." Seira said.

Shinwoo knew she was being honest. Seira never minced words, or fell to a lot of the same pitfalls that some people did with saying one thing, but really meaning another. She was always honest when she spoke, and if she didn't have anything nice to say, she usually just stayed quiet. Still, Shinwoo felt a desire to make something special for Seira's birthday. Maybe Rai would have some ideas.

"Rai… I know you're trying to rest and recuperate these days, but could I talk to you alone for a few minutes?" Shinwoo asked. Raizel nodded once and went into the other room with Shinwoo, shutting the door and setting up a sound barrier so that nobody could hear them.

"It's Seira's birthday… Or it was a few days ago. I feel bad for missing it. Do you know what she might like as a gift?"

"You have Bioenergy Manipulation, Shinwoo." Raizel said simply. Shinwoo blinked, confused for a moment.

"I know. You gave it to me. What are you suggesting?"

"You must determine it for yourself… Allow your mind to receive." Raizel said, reaching out and touched Shinwoo's forehead. Shinwoo felt a blast of knowledge.

It was very complex, but important. It was Seira's Aura Signature. Suddenly, Shinwoo knew what to do. Although Seira was more powerful than any human, she confessed to him that her power as a Clan Leader was lacking. She was very young, the second youngest Clan Leader in history. Regis was the youngest. Her power was increased when she used her Death Scythe, but it also drained her power faster, and thus, she sometimes could not fight as long or as hard as she wanted to.

Shinwoo thanked Raizel, and ran home, not stopping at all until he was behind locked doors. After he calmed down, and thought for a few minutes, he finished the sword, making the handle and the scabbard, and everything, and preparing to ship it out the next day. Thereafter, he put the invoice in his file cabinet, and went to work on a ring for Seira.

He made it a silver color to match her perfect white hair, and put a red gem in the center, which he infused with generous amounts of bioenergy, which matched Seira's aura signature perfectly, allowing her to draw on it anytime she needed extra energy. When the energy in the ring was all expended, it would just be a highly ornate, and high quality ring which could be thereafter filled with more bioenergy if the user, namely Seira, desired.

She could fill it with her own bioenergy by focusing on the ring and pouring Aura into it, or she could have Shinwoo do it. He just hoped that he wasn't insulting her, essentially saying he didn't think her power was enough. He had heard that Raskreia had given Raizel a gift of sorts, half of her Soul Weapon, which she stabbed him with, and gave him some extra life force to go on.

This gift may just have helped him survive until the point when Frankenstein gave Raizel Bioenergy Manipulation so that he could live as long as he liked. He had recently felt Raskreia's power level go up. He suspected that Raizel had used his knowledge of Raskreia's Aura signature, and recreated the other half of her sword, Ragnarok. He had been learning a bit about the Nobles from Frankenstein and from Seira. Rael refused to teach him anything. He was still angry that Seira had chosen Shinwoo over him.

He had challenged Shinwoo to a duel several times, though usually Shinwoo turned him down. He had no desire to continue to fight and embarrass Rael. Shinwoo had no problem with Rael. He was sure that Rael could be a nice person if given a chance. Shinwoo had tried to give him that chance, but Rael seemed to keep turning away Shinwoo's attempts. So, after a while, Shinwoo stopped trying. Why bother? It wasn't going to get either of them anywhere.

Shinwoo laid in the field with Seira, pointing out constellations for a few hours, telling the stories behind them. He had read a book on all the constellations, and studied the sky extensively at night, marveling at their beauty, and his ability to see the stars so clearly, now.

She had asked if they could go out to the field again and look at stars. He had immediately agreed. He had enjoyed their last date, so he made a few more evolutions to himself. He could zoom in and see the stars much closer, now. It was almost like the stars were right next to him, and he could easily see planets in high focus, like he was looking through a high powered telescope.

"Lovely evening, isn't it?" Came a light, feminine voice from behind them. Shinwoo nodded happily.

"Beautiful. The view is perfect. Not a cloud in the sky. And I'm with the woman I love. How could I ask for more? Wait… Maisie, right? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was just in the area, and thought I'd visit some friends. I also need to warn you about something. I'm afraid my boss has gone off the deep end."

"The woman that you have a girl crush on?" Shinwoo asked. Maisie shook her head. "N-no… Zacharias… He's… The leader of the military arm of the Holy Knights of Tobias. People claim sometimes that he was the inspiration for Mars, himself… The Roman god of War? No?"

"Well, there are numerous theories on how those legends were inspired, but… It's possible that your boss was the inspiration, though it's also likely that the leader of the Ru Clan at the time inspired them.

"Tell me, who is he?"

"He's… A master of martial arts… It's said that he can fight armies singlehandedly and come away without a scratch… I can't say if that's true. But nobody has ever defeated him in combat, whether alone or in a group. He always takes them out with utmost efficiency and professionalism. He's a master of a form of martial arts he claims to have invented himself.

"It's called Genus Dei Bellum, or…"

"Order of War."

"More or less. Art of War, I think is what he meant to call it. But, he may have mistranslated. That said, he's gone off the deep end. The entire order of the Holy Knights was intended to fight Nobles and Werewolves, and modified humans that threaten human lives. But, he's taking it too far.

"He's planning to destroy the entire island of Lukedonia. He has an insane plan that's not only going to destroy Lukedonia, but very likely the entire planet. He said that chances are strong that his attack will destabilize Earth's orbit around the Sun and send it hurtling off into space… And that's if we're lucky. If we're not lucky, Earth could implode or be turned into a gigantic supermassive black hole."

"Wha… Are you serious? How could he possibly manage that?"

"Well… I… didn't understand all of his explanation. But he said something about making a sound blast of 1,100 dB… And…"

"And the 1,100 dB would essentially count as a gigantic mass right on top of the location, which would implode, causing a black hole.

"The black hole would be incredibly unstable, and would fall apart rapidly, perhaps in mere seconds, if not less time. But earth would be destroyed. There would be nothing left save subatomic particles. Why would he want to destroy the entire planet? Just to destroy the Nobles?"

"Like I said, he's going a bit mad. I need you to help me stop him. Anyone you can bring to help would be welcome."

"Can't your lady love help you?"

"Don't call her that. She's not anything like that."

"And why on earth not?" Shinwoo asked. Maisie blushed.

"I-I'm afraid. I don't want to lose her as a friend just because I want her as a lover. Weren't you scared when you were confessing to Miss Seira?"

"A little. But I didn't let it slow me down or stop me. And, she said yes. So, my perseverance was warranted."

"I-I see… I-I just can't…"

"Well then, I can't help you… Maisie…" Shinwoo said simply. Both Seira and Maisie looked at Shinwoo, shocked at his blasé attitude.

"W-what? B-but… What about…"

"What about it? What good is being alive if you refuse to live your life? You may as well be a rock for all the good you're doing yourself. I'll make you a deal. I'll help you. In fact, I'll bring all my powerful friends to help you as well… Think about it. The Noblesse, the Lord of the Nobles, Muzaka, former Lord of the Werewolves, and several other Werewolves, Frankenstein himself…

"Not a bad deal right? With that kind of all-star lineup, we might just win this…"

"W-what do I have to do in return?" Maisie asked. Shinwoo smirked.

"You have to confess your feelings to that woman… What is her name again, by the way?"

"Lise… She's a biouser, like you…"

"I see… Well, you have to confess to Lise, and I'll give you all the help I can. I'll be in contact with you. Give me your number, and make sure it's a number that can't be traced or listened in on. I have to go. This is a special night for Seira and me."

"It is?" Seira asked. Shinwoo nodded.

"Absolutely. See you later, Maisie. This is my number. Text me the information, and keep me in the loop about when he plans to go through with this cockamamie scheme."

"I understand. I promise I'll tell her. For some reason, I feel more confident, now. Thank you, Shinwoo, Miss Seira."

"You're welcome. Good night." Maisie nodded, and hurried off. She was definitely not just a normal human. She was modified, though, whether through biomass, or by technology was unknown, and unimportant.

"Seira… I know you said that your birthday wasn't important to you. But it's important to me. So, I made you a gift. Here…"

"Oh, thank you… I-it's gorgeous…" Seira said, gasping at how intricate the ring was. It was a small blood red stone, set into a thin silver band. Shinwoo had outdone himself on this. She could feel it radiating with energy. It was practically overflowing with power.

It was like Shinwoo had poured all of his own Aura into it. Of course, that was impossible. It would very nearly have killed him if he did. But, it was at least five times as much Aura as she herself possessed. What exactly was it for? Just decoration? Or maybe it had a practical use?"

"It's… Spare energy. I don't know how powerful your Aura is on your own. I know that as a Clan Leader, you're very powerful. But, I thought that… Perhaps in a pinch, you might want a little extra to tide you over. The energy inside is modified to match your Aura Signature perfectly, and you can draw on it at will. Just focus on the ring and the energy inside the gem, and some of it will pour into you."

"Thank you. This is very nice."

"I-I know you probably have no shortage of your own bioenergy, but…"

"No need to explain. I appreciate this. It's a backup, in case I get into a fight I can't win on my own. Is it completely full, or can it hold my own Aura as well? Could I pour my own energy into it?"

"You can if you want to. Did I get the aura signature right?"

"Yes. If you didn't tell me it was yours, I wouldn't have known the difference. How did you know my aura signature so well?"

"Well… I confess, Rai helped me. He imbued me with the knowledge of your signature. Sorry."

"I love it." Seira said, kissing Shinwoo tenderly on the lips.

She then took Shinwoo's hand and led him back to his apartment.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Shinwoo embraced Seira, kissing her gently on the lips, moving to her cheekbone, breathing gently on her neck, occasionally nipping it, leaving slight hickeys on her. Seira gasped in pleasure as Shinwoo led her over to the bed, sitting down and pulling her onto his lap, gently stroking her leg with one hand and running his fingers through her hair with his other, still kissing her gently.

Even though they had only been in the apartment for a few minutes, Shinwoo was already ready to go. But, it was only right to build up to it. Slowly, Shinwoo unbuttoned Seira's blouse, using only three fingers. Seira couldn't deny that he had become incredibly dexterous, his fingers moving with a liquid grace. His left hand, which had been on her leg, slowly moved between her legs, gently prodding her pussy, causing Seira to shiver with pleasure.

She and Shinwoo hadn't been together like this since the night of the battle between Shinwoo and Tesamu… Not because neither of them wanted to, but because they had been busy with something or other. They could make time for dates occasionally, but for some reason or another, they always had to go their separate ways afterward.

Shinwoo removed his own shirt, pulling Seira down on the bed on top of him, then reversing their positions, and continued to unbutton her blouse, taking his time, building up Seira's and his anticipation of the event, kissing her sweet lips, moving to her shoulder, and going down her arm, pulling her bra off, flicking the clip off like it was not even there, and kissing her nipple, flicking his tongue over it and breathing in.

He heard Seira sigh in contentment as he slowly removed her skirt, leaving her in just her panties. But Seira, usually so content to be passive in all that she did, was done being the passive one, and she flipped their positions, unbuttoning Shinwoo's pants, leaving him in just his boxers. Already, he was completely hard. She gently breathed on his erect penis, causing him to shiver with pleasure as she pulled down his boxers as well, and threw them on the floor, caring nothing for being neat.

They didn't have school the next day, so Seira could spend the whole night with Shinwoo, and go home in the morning. Seira blew once more on his bare penis, kissing the tip, licking it and taking it into her mouth, before pulling it out and smiling sexily at Shinwoo. Shinwoo groaned as she slowly, licking along his penis, took it deeper into her mouth, then pulled out again, enjoying Shinwoo's gasps.

Little did he know that she was stopping him from cumming with her Aura. She had read about using chi, or Chakra in the Tantric sex book, and it said that you could prolong the pleasure by blocking their ability to orgasm. She went slightly deeper each time, allowing him to come down from the near high ever so slightly, then went deeper again, building him up more and more.

"S-Seira! Seira! A-aaaghh…" Shinwoo groaned as she buried his penis all the way in her mouth.

Shinwoo cried out, feeling himself ready to cum really hard. However, it wasn't happening.

"Please, Seira!"

"What? You have to ask me if you want something… It's rude to read minds without just cause…"

"I-I want to cum!" Shinwoo groaned. Seira nodded, and laid down on the bed.

"Do it inside me…" Seira said. Shinwoo nodded, positioning himself at her entrance, pushing in slowly, adjusting to the incredible tightness. He had to make sure to shoot blanks this time as well so that he didn't get her pregnant. He wasn't ready for children, and he was sure that Seira wouldn't appreciate it. He slowly began thrusting, gasping and moaning as he did, slowing down so that he would last longer.

After a while, when the feeling was unbearable, and she orgasmed shortly before, he released inside her, growling as he did it. Seira blushed slightly. She wasn't sure if she could ask this. It was… Strange.

"Sh-Shinwoo… I-I need you to promise not to laugh…"

"Of course… Is something wrong?"

"Well… No… I-I want you to…" She whispered in his ear. Shinwoo blushed. Anal sex. It was… Something he had considered before. But, he never asked because he didn't want to seem strange. He didn't know if it was considered taboo in Noble society. The first time was their first time. It would have been unacceptable. Now, though, she was asking for it.

"Sure… T-tonight?" Shinwoo asked. Blushing more deeply, Seira nodded. "U-unless you don't want to."

"No… It's fine…" Shinwoo said, using biomass to lube himself up adequately so he didn't hurt her. Seira groaned as he positioned himself at her back entrance, and began pushing in. His penis was even harder than before, and well lubricated.

It was less a painful sensation, and more a burning sensation, the feeling of something too big going inside, or coming out… Depending on the circumstance. Finally, Shinwoo buried himself to the hilt, kissing Seira on the cheek, stroking her head, whispering soothing words of comfort to her.

Seira was already breathing harder, Shinwoo's nerve manipulation having gone off, and begun to stimulate her sexually. She was getting hot, and feeling herself about to orgasm again. After a moment, he began moving. At that moment, Seira cried out with orgasm again, and Shinwoo groaned, trying not to orgasm, himself as he continued to thrust in her.

After a few minutes, and another orgasm from Seira, Shinwoo groaned as he came inside her ass. Somehow, this orgasm was even more intense than his last one. He would have to recommend this again. Finally collapsing on the bed next to Seira, kissing her gently on the lips, the two fell asleep.

After a few hours, Shinwoo woke up. He didn't really need to sleep. He had evolved himself beyond that months ago. As he looked at his phone, he saw that he had gotten a text. It was from Maisie.

Han Shinwoo, Zacharias's plan is liable to come to fruition within the week. He refuses to mention exactly when it will happen, but says "any time now."

 _Have you confessed to Lise yet?"_

Shinwoo waited a few minutes, then got a response.

I'm walking to her room right now to do that.

 _Good. Lise will probably know where to go in Lukedonia. Once I get clearance from Headmaster Lee._

Of course.

Maisie knocked on Lise's door, and was given permission to enter.

"Lise…" Maisie said quietly, turning a deep pink color at the mere thought of confessing to her.

"You've stopped calling me 'milady'. I've always liked my middle name better, honestly. Lise is just such a common name. Adelheid is so much prettier."

"Adelheid is pretty. It means 'Of Noble Sort'. Adelheid… I-I was given an… Ultimatum of sorts. That red haired boy that I spied on for you. He's willing to help us defeat Zacharias."

"Mhm… And why would we need his help?"

"Because Zacharias may not be as powerful as you, but he's an unrivaled master of Genus Dei Bellum. He could easily wreck the entire military force that the Holy Knights can bring to bear.

"He said he would bring as many of his 'friends' as he could. And he has powerful friends. Nobles, Werewolves, modified humans… But… I-I didn't really come to talk about this. I need to tell you something."

"Yes?" Adelheid asked politely, her pale green eyes looking at Maisie.

"I-I love you, Adelheid… I-I've loved you for as long as I can remember. I… Was just worried that if I told you, you would be disgusted with me."

"Not at all. We may be run by the Church, but that doesn't mean that we're all intolerant bigots. I'm flattered, really…"

"But… You don't feel the same way…"

"I'm… Not sure…" Adelheid said, furrowing her brow. "I've… Never been in a relationship before. I was only 12 when my entire village was murdered. Honestly, I was arranged to be married… But I barely knew my fiancé, and I honestly thought he was obnoxious. He was almost twice my age, and an absolute boor. I was due to be married when I was fifteen. But since only my brother and I survived, I was released from that responsibility."

"So… Will you go on a date with me?" Maisie asked, holding up a rose. Adelheid smiled and took the rose.  
"Sure… Now, what's the issue with Zacharias? Here, share it with me mentally." Adelheid said. Maisie merely thought what she wanted to say, and Adelheid instantly understood.

"Hmm… A grave thought. Perhaps Frankenstein's help would be welcome. Have you given him the information that you know?"

"Yes, Adelheid. They'll soon know all that I know."

"Hey, Headmaster! Hurry up! Let us in! Shinwoo demanded. Frankenstein sighed. How was his master ever going to get any rest if Shinwoo and his friends kept coming over. He had distinctly asked Shinwoo and his friends to stay away for a little while. But, Shinwoo had become more sensitive to others lately, partially because of his psychic empathy.

"Hello, Shinwoo… It's nice to see you again… Is something the matter? Master still has a few more days before he goes back to school."

"I understand… You remember the Holy Knights of Tobias?"

"Of course. I did fight one of the most powerful members of the Holy Knights."

"Right, well… The leader of the militant faction, Mars, is planning to create a supermassive black hole in the middle of Lukedonia… Hold on…" Shinwoo said, reaching out and touching Frankenstein's forehead, relaying the entire conversation he had with Maisie about the 1,100 dB sound blast, which would destroy the entire earth."

"I see. And she's certain that he isn't just bluffing. Well, either way, we can't risk that. And you promised all of our service without even asking first?"

"Yes… I refuse to apologize. I'll go on my own if I have to, but I'm protecting Seira's home and the world from this maniac."

"I doubt you could manage to defeat him. Your abilities are admirable. But he's had almost as much practice fighting stronger opponents as I have. If he is who I think he is, he may be older even than I am, and have more experience than I in combating overwhelmingly powerful opponents.

"I have every intention of being there. We can stay in Master's mansion until they attack. They won't be planning on having the main combat force there and waiting for them. If I'm correct, he will have to take a little while to set up. The blast of sound will require approximately 100 untrigintillion watts/meter2 energy. That's more energy than is created in a supernova. He must have been saving that energy up for a long time.

"I don't know how he managed to get that much energy. However, the fact that he managed is frightening in the extreme."

"I know. Seira… I'm… Worried about this all. I know I can't make you stay, but… I'd like to ask you to as a favor to me… I-I would hate to see you hurt or killed. Please stay behind."

"You know I can't." Seira said, putting a hand on Shinwoo's. "I need to protect the rest of the Nobles to the best of my ability."

"I know… I wouldn't expect any less of you.

"Guys, I've got something for all of you. Yuizi, I made a pair of twin katanas. They are self repairing, so if one of them cracks, chips or is damaged, they are programmed to instantly repair themselves. However, they are denser than the inner core of the earth, and made better than any swords I've sold yet.

"They're sharp enough and thin enough to cut through solid steel. They are also self lubricating, and self cleaning. They absorb the blood of those the blades cut, and transmutes it into an oil that can lubricate the blades."

"Shinwoo… I'm… I can't accept these. These must be worth a fortune."

"Actually, they're worth nothing. I made them myself from biomass. Besides, what am I supposed to do with them… You're the master swordswoman. They're approximately 1,000 times stronger than steel, but lighter than aluminum."

"Th-thank you… This is… Really nice." She said quietly, taking the swords and putting them down in front of her.

"Tao… These wires are made of hyperconducting biomass. If you wear this earpiece, they will obey your mental command, and can conduct and transmit approximately ten quintillion volts of electricity directly into the subject's body. It would kill a regular human many times over. For a being as powerful as Zacharias, I'm not sure how much damage it can do. But, it can't hurt to try. Also, these glasses.

"They digitally slow the subject's movements, and dissect their technique, predicting approximately 1,000 'possible next moves' in order of probability."

"Holy shit… Shinwoo… How did you manage this?"

"Well… I… When I absorbed Tesamu, I also absorbed all his knowledge, which includes all of Frankenstein's knowledge that Tesamu appropriated 820 years ago.

"Takeo… This sniper rifle has a scope that tells you all of the target's stats, including how fast they are, their heart rate, etc. It can shoot a bullet up to 10,000 meters, and I made a number of biomass bullets that will go with the rifle perfectly. The blue ones will freeze their muscles. The pink ones will cause muscle cramps. The green ones contain a poison that's 100 times deadlier than that of the poison dart frog. The red ones will stop their heart, well, it will stop the heart of most modified humans.

"There are other bullet types. The statistics of them are all written down on this piece of paper."

"Shinwoo… This…"

"No need for thanks."

"M-21… I'm not exactly sure what kind of weapon you specialize in, except that you can transform into a werewolf.

"So, take this pill."

"What… What does the pill do?" M-21 asked suspiciously. "Is it… Like a steroid?"

"Not at all. It permanently increases your physical and mental stats, improves your hearing, you could hear a cockroach piss now, if you were so inclined. It improves your vision, and sense of smell. I'm not sure by how much, but you'll be far more powerful than you used to be."

"Thank you. Why are you doing all this for us?"

"Well… Several reasons, really… I'm one of Rai's Knights, now. Just as it's his job to protect humans, so too is it mine. But also because I really like you guys. I'd hate to see you die in this because you weren't prepared properly.

"Sorry, Principal Lee… I… I couldn't think of any kind of weapon that would be of any use to you. You've got that Dark Spear, and all that. Same for you, Rai… You're already super powerful, and you mostly use your supernatural powers to fight. I mean, you could probably stop an entire army just by telling them to kneel, with your level of mind control.

"Let's see… Seira and Regis are probably set with their Soul Weapons. But I've got this for Regis. Is he here?"

"I'm here. I got back last night. I don't require a gift from anyone. I do appreciate the thought, though."

"Are you sure, Regis? It's an Aura necklace. It holds a shit ton of bioenergy in case you're running low in the middle of battle."

"Really? That's actually one of the more practical things I've heard a human think of."

"Right. Here you go. When you need the energy, just concentrate on the bauble."

"Thank you. It's surprisingly elegant for a human-made object."

"Geez… D'you think you could've done better?" Shinwoo demanded, annoyed by Regis's irritatingly superior answer."

"Of course not. I'm not a jewelry maker, and it would take me approximately three years to imbue something with that much energy. I appreciate it. It will come in handy in this upcoming fight."

"Right… Anyway… Let's see… I'm embarrassed to say that I have no idea what kind of weapons Muzaka, Artemis and Garda fight with."

"We mostly fight with our hands. If we need more power, we transform, and use our increased Werewolf powers. We require no weapons, and I would feel bad accepting a gift from you."

"No, of course not. I've got something I think might help you. Take these pills. They're the same pill I gave to M-21."

"You're… Asking us to accept modification?" Muzaka asked, looking terribly affronted. Shinwoo shook his head.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. It's not modification. Not as most think of it. It's more like rapidly increasing your own natural abilities. You already have superhuman abilities, don't you?"

"Yes…" Artemis said nervously.

"Then, you're probably barely going to notice the difference. This is more like the difference between one human lifting something, and ten humans lifting something. For a Werewolf, the difference is going to be much less pronounced. But, you don't have to take it if you don't want to. Anyone else who wants one can take one. I've made enough for everyone. I've actually been working on this for a while. I felt like thanking all you guys properly for your help in my life lately."

"Sure… We'll take one…" Tao said, reaching for one. Takeo and several of the others took a pill as well. In fact, all of them except Raizel, Regis, Raskreia, and Frankenstein took one. The Nobles had their honor to consider, and Frankenstein hardly needed any extra power. He was practically an army unto himself.

"Thank you, Han Shinwoo… You're certain that these pills will not imbalance the work that I've already done on them?" Frankenstein asked. Shinwoo nodded.

"Absolutely. I tested them on myself, and on numerous animal subjects. I am going to need to gather plenty of biomass in order to be completely ready for this fight. I suggest that you do as well, Rai."

Raizel nodded once. Frankenstein then hurried everyone to bed. Shinwoo, on the other hand, went out with Raizel to the park. He hadn't collected biomass in several weeks, and the trees had become much more efficient, through Shinwoo's help, at generating biomass. So efficient, in fact, that he could collect hundreds of units of biomass from a single tree sometimes without damaging the tree.

Once they got to the park, Shinwoo took Raizel to the grove of trees that had been the longest amount of time untapped. He could feel them positively brimming with biomass. He put his hand up to one of the trees, and drained the excess biomass, and Raizel did the same on an adjacent tree. The two of them went around gathering massive amounts of biomass. Raizel probably needed it less, simply given his immense power, even before he became a Biouser.

But now, his power could practically be touched.

"Your power is impressive, Han Shinwoo… You've truly come into your own." Raizel said quietly. Shinwoo smiled sheepishly.

"Thanks, Rai… And thanks for your help in fighting the Holy Knights. This is crazy, right?"

"Yes. Crazy." Raizel said stoically, turning and heading back to Frankenstein's house, taking the "long way" home.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"Okay… Now, there are more than enough rooms for everyone. Relax, for now. Get ready. Prepare how you're going to use those weapons in tandem…"

"Oh! That reminds me! For those of you who took the pills, you can set up a telepathic link between yourself and up to five other people of your choice. For M-21, Tao, and Takeo, I suggest setting it up with each other, me, Yuizi, and one other person that you trust."

"Cool! So we can always be in contact!?"

"If you want. You can shut off the link whenever you like so that you don't interfere with each other's thoughts."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the front door.

"Please, come in… You must be Maisie and Lise…" Frankenstein said politely. Maisie nodded shyly.

"Good evening, Frankenstein… It's been a long time."

"I'm sorry… Have we met?" Frankenstein asked. Lise narrowed her eyes.

"No. You're infamous with our organization. Zacharias once said that you're the only man who ever defeated him in combat. You nearly killed him."

"Hmm… Zacharias, tall man? Long black hair, skinny, but muscular? Intense blue eyes and a permanent sneer?"

"Yeah… That's about right… Why?"

"Small world… I fought Zacharias about 750 years ago. He came very close to killing me… Despite my Dark Spear, he almost won.

"He was strong willed enough to resist the Dark Spear absorbing him. As I understand it, he was never the same again. He became very intensely religious, to the point of zealotry. He called me Teufel, or Devil. Ahahahaha! What a funny man, right?" Frankenstein asked. None of the others were laughing, though. They could easily understand why someone unfamiliar with Frankenstein would mistake him for the Devil.

"We apologize for our tardiness… We haven't kept you waiting too long, have we?" Maisie asked nervously. Frankenstein laughed and shook his head.

"Not at all. Now, why don't we all introduce ourselves. You know me. I'm Frankenstein… Though, my students call me Principal Lee." Frankenstein said politely.

"My name is Regis K. Landegre. I'm the leader of the Landegre Clan. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintainces." Regis said, bowing politely.

"I'm honored to meet you. My name is Yuizi…"

"Oh, my… Your agents are very polite, Doctor Frankenstein." Maisie said, feeling slightly out of place.

"We're Tao, Takeo, and M-21…" Tao said. "And it is a pleasure to meet you, lovely ladies…" Tao finished, smiling at the two.

"My name is Linus. M-21 was my name in the Union." Linus said, waving his hand dismissively.

"Muzaka…"

"I'm Garda…"

"Artemis… Though, my friends used to call me Artie…" She said quietly. She never had that many friends, but those she did have called her that.

"W-what do you prefer to be called?" Maisie asked. Artemis shrugged.

"Doesn't matter to me, really."

"And you?" Lise asked, looking at Raizel.

"Cadis Etrama DiRaizel."

"Okay, since we all know each other, now… let's have something to eat together. Miss Seira, would you be so good as to help me prepare dinner? Shinwoo, if you are familiar with cooking, you can join us."

"I learned a little bit about cooking from sparring with Seira… Count me in." Shinwoo said. He didn't really eat much anymore, but he could still cook pretty well. Lise and Maisie wondered how sparring was related to cooking, but accepted his answer at its face.

After about an hour, the three of them came out, and set everything on the table, and the group sat down to eat. Shinwoo opted out. Although he enjoyed spending time with his friends, he needed to plan for the upcoming combat. He went to the room he would be staying in, and began constructing weapons out of biomass, making many different kinds so that both Maisie and Lise would have a weapon with which they would be facile.

As he was finishing with a naginata, Lise came into the room and sat down across from him. She smiled politely at him.

"You must be Han Shinwoo. My name is Lise, although I prefer my middle name, Adelheid."

"That's a pretty name, Adelheid. I wasn't sure what kinds of weapons you were skilled with, so I made a bunch. Guns, polearms, swords, pipes, you name it. I have it.

"I can absorb any weapon we don't need."

"Thank you, Shinwoo… But I can make my own weapons. My… Ability isn't nearly as refined as yours. But I have Biomass Manipulation. I was injected with the virus about 500 or so years ago. I wasn't ready then to command such power, and I still don't think I'm ready. But ready or not, I have it. I have to do with it what I can."

"That's a very mature outlook. I can give you Bioenergy Manipulation, if you like. It wouldn't be that hard to upgrade your ability. E=MC2 indicates that Energy is equal to the mass multiplied by the speed of light squared.

"So even one point of mass would turn into approximately 89.9 quadrillion units of energy."

"Thank you… I appreciate the offer. But if I'm to gain Bioenergy Manipulation, I will need to get it for myself, not have it given to me.

"Maisie tells me that you are dating a Noblesse."

"Noble…"

"What?" Lise asked.

"They're called Nobles. The Noblesse is one person. One man. Rai is the Noblesse, and he essentially holds a position similar to that of the Lord."

"I see. You seem young, Shinwoo. Far too young to command this sort of power, to have this level of responsibility."

"I didn't ask for Biomass Manipulation. It was forced on me by an Elder of the Union, and I'm just making the best of it. You seem awfully young, yourself. How old were you when you joined the Knights?"

"About twelve. My brother was sixteen, and we were the only survivors of a Vampire attack… Well, we called it a Vampire, though in reality, Nobles call them Mutants. They're ill conceived creatures created when a human who has contracted with a Noble forms their own contract with another human. The diluted blood is potent enough to grant power, but weak enough to only go halfway. The poor creature goes mad, and ends up craving blood.

"They're stronger and sturdier than any normal human, and they cause chaos wherever they go. But they can't go out in the light. Small mercies, right? Usually, when found, Nobles will execute these monsters, and the contractor who made it. But this one escaped notice. Big world, and whatnot. And it slaughtered my entire village save my brother and me. The Holy Knights of Tobias destroyed the monster, and saved us, and we followed them until they accepted us into their ranks.

"My brother died eventually. But I survived and became the leader of the group, somehow. About 500 years ago, they offered me the chance to undergo an experimental procedure. There was no guarantee I'd survive, they said. Good chance I'd never be the same, they said. But, they also said that I would be doing it for my Lord and Savior.

"So, I agreed, and I was injected with a horrible black substance. The pain was unimaginable. I wished I would have passed out so I wouldn't have to suffer. But I survived, and I became one of the first biousers. I understand that there's a young man in the Union who was the first Biouser. But of Biousers, even today, there are only you, the Noblesse, the Elder, and me. That, I think is quite a fantastic accomplishment, to be one of only four people who survived the injection.

"Before you ask, I'm not sure I believe in God, anymore. But, I do believe in what the Holy Knights stand for, protecting the world from Nobles, Werewolves, and the Union. So, I persevere."

"You don't really think all Nobles are evil, do you?"

"Prove me wrong. Every Noble in my experience has been arrogant, and under the impression that they, as former protectors of humanity, were entitled to whatever they wanted.

"So evil? Maybe not. Deluded? Yes. Dangerous? Absolutely." Lise said. Shinwoo growled angrily.

"I'll have you know that my girlfriend, the love of my life, is a Clan Leader, and has risked her life time and again for my friends' sakes, and never once even expected a thank you, much less payment or recompense of any sort."

"Then she'd be the first. That blonde haired prat that was standing in the Lord's chamber the first time I visited Lukedonia. He looked fit to murder me for my supposed presumptuousness in even talking to her. Who does he think he is? Is he really so much better than me just because he's a Noble?"

"I think I see what's really happening. And, I understand. You're angry at the Nobles for not doing anything when the Vampire slaughtered your village.

"It's true. The master, whoever was the Noble who contracted that human, should have told him or her not to make their own contracts. They should have monitored them, and made sure they didn't stray. But, that doesn't give you leave to hate all Nobles for the mistakes, even the sins of a few. How dare you presume that all Nobles fit your narrow-minded archetype of "Nobles"?

"Regis, Rai, Seira, Ras even that asshole, Rael, Regis' old man, they're some of my best friends, and I dare you… I double dare you to say anything against them. See what happens!"

"Hmm… My intelligence on you was right."

"What? What does that mean?"

"It means that someone can insult or threaten you as much as they want. You can take care of yourself without issue. But if someone threatens or insults your friends or loved ones, they're liable to incur your wrath. It's an admirable trait in a man, to be willing to lay down your personal safety, indeed, your life, for the ones you love. I also understand that Miss Seira is your first serious relationship."

"Um… H-how… I-I mean…"

"It's not an insult. I'm just surprised. With how honorable, honest, and brave you are, I'm surprised you haven't had a girlfriend before."

"Are you hitting on me? I'm flattered, but not interested." Shinwoo said, waving his hands.

"Not even a little. I'm quite happy with Maisie. I've actually had my eye on her for a while. I was just waiting for her to build up the courage to confess to me."

"Oh, good for her. She's really been pining after you for a while, hasn't she?"

"About twenty years, or so. Are these weapons for everyone, or are you storing them in some sort of hammerspace, and carrying them all into battle?"

"No, no. They're for everyone. Please, take as many as you like." Shinwoo said gregariously. Adelheid looked around, weighing different weapons in her hand. They were all uncommonly heavy, but evenly weighted and beautiful in appearance.

She picked up a rapier, swung it around swiping at a vase in the corner, slashing it in half. Shinwoo cried out at this.

"Hey! This isn't my stuff! It's Rai's! How would you feel if I started breaking your belongings!?"

"My apologies. It's been a long while since I've held a weapon in my hand. I know how to fight with a sword. But I'm not used to controlling my strength anymore."

"C'mon. We can go spar in the back yard." Shinwoo said, growing a long pipe in his left hand, and a machete in his right. He was more used to using improvised weapons in combat, or his fists and feet. But he went out back with Lise, and bowed to her, though he seemed hesitant.

"Something wrong?"

"Well, I feel bad hitting a woman. I know you're very strong, but…"

"Do I have to throw you to the ground before you're willing to fight me?" Adelheid demanded, rushing Shinwoo and getting him into a Judo lock. However, Shinwoo lifted Adelheid into the air and slammed her on the ground on instinct before jumping back, and going into a fighting stance.

Next, Shinwoo nodded, counting down, before analyzing her cautiously, watching her every muscle twitch, before making a cautious advance, seeming to move forward, but then teleporting behind her, and slashing with the machete, and being blocked by the rapier.

Adelheid slashed gracefully with the rapier, opening a cut or two on Shinwoo, but mostly being blocked by the pipe, and being countered by the machete. They fought fairly equally for about ten minutes until Shinwoo had almost completely analyzed Adelheid's fighting style. It was beautiful and graceful, and it was effective. However, Shinwoo found a few openings, and exploited them, flicking his wrist, and knocking the rapier aside, slashing at Adelheid, cutting her wide open, and then taking her hand off.

He then smashed her on the shoulder with his bar.

"Whoah! Whoah! You win! I don't think I've ever met someone other than Zacharias and a few of the members of Mars who could best me so quickly in combat. Who was your master in combat?"

"Well… Mostly, I taught myself, though my dad helped me learn martial arts for years. After he died, and I gained Biomass Manipulation, Principal Lee had his wards spar with me.

"So I've trained against all different kinds of fighting styles, and absorbed lots of knowledge and different powers. I've been trained with some of the most powerful fighters in the world." Shinwoo said proudly. Adelheid nodded.

"Perhaps someday you could help me train. I have a lot of martial arts training, but not much practical experience."

"You don't want me, then. You want Principal Lee. He's gotten a lot of practical experience to the point that he can defeat enemies who are much more powerful than him."

"I see. Well, maybe we can try sparring again? Perhaps just use fists this time." Adelheid asked.

"Cool." Shinwoo said, throwing his machete aside, and waiting for Adelheid to attack. The two stared each other down, waiting for the other one to make a move. After about three minutes, Adelheid decided to move first, moving in cautiously, but being rewarded only with a swift kick to the stomach, and having several of her ki points sealed, essentially paralyzing her. She fell to the ground, shocked that Shinwoo had so efficiently defeated her.

"Adelheid… You need to learn two things… If you're not certain of the enemy's strength, or are certain of their superiority, wait for them to move. Also, there are more efficient ways of rendering an opponent incapable of fighting without breaking anything, even a sweat. There are seven Chakras, all of which feed Ki through the body via the Ki pathways. They are essentially gateways of life energy, and each Ki point in the body corresponds to one of the chakras.

"Unfortunately the Chakras are almost impossible to seal off. They're merely too powerful. It would be like trying to stop a flood with pebbles. It's not going to work. They'll be washed away in the torrent. However, certain Ki points can cause pain, stop movement of specific body parts, or even stop certain organs from working. Some fighters, especially those who are most in tune with the spiritual side of martial arts, can prevent Ki blocking from working to its greatest effect.

"However, it ends up coming down to a contest of skill. You don't need to be able to see the Ki points to be able to block them, but it helps. I am able to see the Ki points, and even observe Ki flow through the body. My martial arts skill is more in hitting pressure points, not hitting Ki points. But Ki point martial arts is essentially the next step up.

"Come here. Don't worry, I have no intention of hurting you." Shinwoo said, focusing Bioenergy in his finger, and breathing as he imbued Adelheid with Ki point sight and martial arts.

"Now, take a deep breath, and look at me. I mean really look at me. Try to see into my soul, and the energy that it puts out. Once you can do that, you will see my Chakras, and realize that they're not nearly as powerful as they could be, ahahaha… But nonetheless, you will then be able to block them."

"Wow! Are your Chakras supposed to be all different colors?" Adelheid asked, amazed at the beauty of Shinwoo's life energy. Shinwoo nodded.

"Yes. Now, I can teach you the different Chakras if you like, although it's not necessary to know their names to do Ki blocking martial arts… You'll be much more effective in it if you're able to recognize the Chakras and their purpose in the body. But you might be able to get by without knowing."

"I see… Teach me, then."

"Okay. The Root Chakra represents our foundation and being centered. It is located at the base of the spine. It is focused on survival, financial security and food.

"The Sacral Chakra represents our connection and ability to accept others and new experiences. It is located in the abdomen. It is focused on our sense of abundance, well-being, pleasure and sexuality. Are you starting to understand?"

"Sort of. These are somewhat abstract."

"Yes. They are. But, meditating on the chakras is mostly done by Buddhist monks.

"That's all they do is meditate on abstract things. And, well, they reach spiritual balance. But… Normal people have more immediate things to focus on. It's up to you."

"Keep going."

"Okay… The next Chakra is…"

And Shinwoo kept going on the Chakras. He also showed her a few major Ki points, and showed her how to focus disruptive Ki in her fingers and block the Ki points. After a while, Maisie came out, and said that they should probably get to bed. They had to be ready for combat at any time. And although Shinwoo didn't require sleep, and frankly, nor did Adelheid, Maisie did, and so did the others… Except Raizel, who was a Biouser as well.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

"I'm not sure that they're coming tonight, Master. You should get some rest. The kids went to bed over an hour ago…"  
"…"

"Master, it's almost two in the morning…"

"…"

"I understand, Master."

Suddenly, Ludis burst into the mansion, looking terribly alarmed.

"Sir Raizel! Frankenstein! There are humans on the island!" Ludis protested. Frankenstein looked at Ludis evenly.

"Yes. Right in Master's home. Please knock next time."

"M-my apologies, Sir… Raizel… I meant they just landed. They're carrying strange technology with them. I get a terrible feeling from them."

"The battle has begun." Raizel said, contacting everyone who was sleeping and telling them to prepare for battle. Everyone leapt out of bed immediately, and prepared for combat, collecting whatever weapons they wanted from Shinwoo's room, and going to the foyer, where they went out, led by Ludis.

"Um… Lord Zacharias… W-won't this destroy the entire world? The entire Universe, even?" One of Zacharias's followers asked uncertainly. Zacharias laughed.

"Yes. But, on the bright side, we'll be rid of the Noble and Werewolf menace that has so long plagued humanity. Truly, they had no place on this earth. Their unnatural powers are offered by the hand of Shaitan, himself… Only the Dark One would offer someone such wicked powers.

"And in their arrogance, they went and corrupted the Children of Seth, making them dependent on their fickle benevolence, while the Werewolves dominated the Humans in old times. Their era is gone, and after they are destroyed, they will all pay for their sins in Hell."

"B-but sir! Is it really worth killing 7.5 billion people just to get rid of a few Nobles and Werewolves?"

"Forget not that we also purge the world of the Union with this! If God truly wants humanity to flourish, He will reforge Man in the wake of this temporary disaster, and humanity will get their eternal reward, for better or worse."

"Y-yes, sir…" The soldier said, still uncertain.

"Zacharias! Stop this! It is not your place to do this!" Adelheid shouted, suddenly having teleported behind Zacharias, who twirled and kicked at Adelheid, who blocked his attack with absolute efficiency. Zacharias seemed surprised by her ability to do this.

"You can't do this! We won't let you!" Shinwoo yelled, having already captured the five members of Mars that Zacharias had brought with him.

"Ah, you're the lover of that Whore of Satan. Has she tempted you yet into contracting with her? Or has she merely tempted you away from the path of God?"

Shinwoo gritted his teeth, trying to keep his temper in check. He refused to allow this man such power over him.

"Ah, Zacharias… Or should I call you Tobias? It has been a long time, has it not?" Frankenstein asked. Zacharias turned to Frankenstein, starting slightly.

"Are you here to wage battle against me as well?

"Your victory will not be so easily earned this time. My skill in combat has increased dramatically since last we met." Zacharias said, smiling politely, though there was a hint of malice in them.

"Well… I used to respect you, Tobias. Your faith was inspiring. However, I won't allow you to destroy all that I've fought to protect all these years." Frankenstein replied. Tobias nodded.

"I understand." He said, splitting into five separate copies of himself. One of them attacked Frankenstein, who shot a number of bolts of Dark Energy at him, dissipating the copy. However, the copy had thrown a knife in that time, cutting Frankenstein. The principal/contractor gasped. It was unheard of to be able to make copies of oneself. He had been attempting to unlock that modification ability for years. But had never been able to.

Meanwhile, Shinwoo was engaged in single combat with one of the copies, going blow for blow with the copy of Tobias, who was far more experienced than Shinwoo. However, Shinwoo had several advantages, using his powers to their utmost. As Tobias closed, attempting to break one of Shinwoo's arms, Shinwoo blew him away with powerful telekinesis, closing with him and slashing with his machete and bludgeoning him with his pipe.

Shinwoo jumped in the air, twisting and kicking Tobias. However, one of the clones was edging toward the machine, preparing it for activation. Muzaka noticed this, and transformed into his werewolf form, warning everyone to prepare themselves and releasing a hypersonic howl, causing Tobias to become slightly shaken. He recovered quickly, though, and continued working, only pausing to occasionally beat off an enemy.

Suddenly, Yuizi made it up behind him, having moved as silently as she could, and sliced his arm off. It immediately began regenerating, but Yuizi had temporarily distracted him, and he stood to his full, and alarming height. At almost 7' tall, he was a giant of a man. And worse, his arms were completely out of proportion to his body. His Ape Index must have been off by at least eight inches. His arm reached out, seemingly slowly, though it must have been quite fast.

Suddenly, it grabbed Yuizi's throat, his horrifyingly strong fingers grasping her neck, constricting and lifting her in the air. He was lifting her up with one arm, and his fingers were lengthening, wrapped almost completely around her neck. Yuizi could hear popping and cracking sounds from her neck as she became dizzy, gasping for breath, her eyes rolling back in her head, grabbing and scratching at Tobias's hands, but getting nowhere.

Finally, Rael, who had come to the site of the attack, moved in on Tobias, stabbing him with Kartas, having almost completely erased his aura signature, making himself completely invisible. Tobias roared in rage and agony, dropping Yuizi, and turning to strike back at Rael, who had already retreated, and made several more attacks on Tobias, finally slicing his head off.

It turned out not to be the real Tobias, though, just a clone.

"You don't stand a chance, really." Tobias said, creating another clone, and going back to fighting and setting up the black hole generator. In the battlefield, Shinwoo completely froze one clone of Tobias, and, creating a gutblade in his hand, shanked another one in the stomach, pulling out his intestines, effectively destroying it.

However, more clones seemed to keep coming. Fortunately, Tobias seemed also to be getting slightly tired. Perhaps there was a limit to the number of clones he could make. Perhaps there was a source of power behind his ability to do so. And if there was, then every energy source had a limit, and had, occasionally to be recharged.

Suddenly, Shinwoo heard a scream, and a gurgling sound. Unfortunately, he couldn't pay it any mind at the moment. He was in the middle of defending himself, and of course his friends against this lunatic, and his followers, none of whom seemed to want to be there, really.

Shinwoo realized that they had to just keep hammering him. Although he may not get tired anytime soon, he would run out of juice eventually. Raizel, unlike the others, seemed to be having no trouble keeping control. Although he seemed unable to utilize Zacharias's blood, he was easily able to control him, alternating use of his own blood and mind control. Unfortunately, Zacharias's or perhaps Tobias's mind was wired differently, and mind control wasn't nearly as effective.

However, Raizel managed to force the Tobias clone to kneel, and do damage to it while it was struggling to stand up. However, it was always able to stand, and return the attack. Shinwoo suddenly realized what he should have done at first, and transmuted biomass into bioenergy, creating a huge pool of energy, and creating energy constructs that could use elemental attacks, and transform fully into various elements.

One was made of pure electricity, and could easily move nearly at the speed of light, making it very difficult to catch. It was also small enough that it was difficult to hit. In the next moment, Shinwoo focused, trying to discover miniscule differences between the clones. After observing their bioenergy for a few seconds while watching them do combat with the energy constructs, Shinwoo recognized that the clones were all the same.

However, they were all slightly weaker than the original, and each new clone he made was weaker than the one replaced by it. And the original, while the bioenergy was becoming slightly weaker, was still overwhelmingly powerful. Shinwoo deflected the attacks of two of the clones, and moved in, breathing deeply, and grabbing Tobias, using his power cancellation.

"Of course, on one such as yourself, power cancellation won't last long. However, I think it should last at least five minutes. Maybe less, if I'm unlucky." Shinwoo said with a smirk. Suddenly, the clones seemed to flicker, and then dissipate in an acrid cloud of smoke. Shinwoo could smell the energy coming from them, but because Tobias no longer had a connection to his powers, the energy did not return to him.

"Hm… You almost had the black hole generator up and running. We were short on time, weren't we?"

"You still are… Starting… Now… You have one minute until the black hole generates and the world is destroyed. Do remember that you won't even have time to stop it by moving out of range. A black hole the size of the Observable Universe. That's quite large, what say you?"

"I think I can defeat you in the… 45 seconds that I have." Shinwoo said, creating twin katanas, and kicking at Tobias, who dodged, taking the long sword and shortsword he had on his waist and blocking. The two exchanged a huge number of blows, their speed positively dizzying in immensity, as the others simply watched. Even Tobias's followers secretly hoped that Shinwoo would win. None of them wanted to die. It was a natural human instinct to want to survive.

Finally, using superior agility, partially due to constantly evolving his speed and strength with Bioenergy during the fight, Shinwoo managed to land a decisive hit on Tobias, who gasped in pain as the wind was driven from his lungs. Shinwoo then made a number of deep cuts on Tobias, removing an arm, and then a leg, immobilizing him.

"I really should kill you, asswipe. But, that would be a mercy, and I owe you none.

"Therefore, I'm going to Consume you. Oh… You're confused. Well, please don't be… You won't be gone forever. Just a part of me." Shinwoo said, grabbing Tobias's head, and absorbing him. As Tobias wrestled to maintain the integrity of his body, but slowly losing control. Shinwoo could tell that the process was agonizingly painful. He tried to keep it as painless as possible. He wasn't a sadist. But he stepped up his attempt, pouring all his experience in, and finally absorbing him fully.

In doing so, he absorbed Tobias's ability to make clones mid-combat, and the power source, finally ending Tobias's suffering, and turning to the machine, merely touching it and short-circuiting the wiring, destroying the machine. It let out a loud, high pitched shriek, but nothing near 1,100 dB, ending the battle between them.

Almost immediately, Shinwoo surveyed the battlefield, looking to see if anyone was injured. Suddenly, he gasped, running over to Seira, who had been skewered through the lung by a long spear. Seira gasped, wanting to be able to talk to Shinwoo one last time. Shinwoo ran over to her, ignoring the other injured in the area, knowing that Raizel could take care of them.

"Seira!"

"Shin… Woo… I… Love… You…" Seira said, kissing Shinwoo, unfortunately coughing up blood in his face as she was about to. Shinwoo looked at the spear, pulling it further through her back, as the spearhead had already gone all the way through, broke it in half, and pulled it the rest of the way out. He then jammed his fingers into her wound, and injected healing biomass into the wound.

Shinwoo could practically hear the biomass working on her, sealing off the wounds.

"Seira… I promise you you'll be alright." Shinwoo said, kissing Seira on the lips. She was exhausted, though, and immediately fell asleep. Shinwoo nodded and moved onto Rael, who was also potentially mortally wounded, although not immediately so.

His injuries could take hours to kill him. He had, despite his speed and strength, been hit in the ribs, and had his stomach and his intestines nicked, and they were bleeding internally. His ribs were broken, several rather severely due to being punched so hard in the chest by Zacharias. Several ribs were nearly shattered, and could potentially cause complications from cutting open organs and such. Rael's breath was coming in gasps.

"Rael…" Shinwoo said, kneeling down and looking Rael over, assessing the extent of his injuries. Both his legs were broken, one at the knee from being kicked brutally there. Without assistance, he would never fully recover.

"Don't just sit there looking at me! I saw what you… Did for… Seira! H-Help… Me…"

"Why should I?" Shinwoo asked, his eyes narrowing apathetically, his blue eyes staring down into Rael's blood red ones. Even Raizel was surprised at the venom in Shinwoo's voice. He never behaved this way towards friends. Rael seemed shocked, his eyes widening in abject surprise.

"Tell me, Rael… You've never been anything but unkind to me. You insult me, you belittle my integrity and I don't think you've ever once given me a chance to show that I'm a good person.

"So why should I help someone who wouldn't do the same for me?"

"You're right… You… Have no reason… To help me… But… if you don't, you'll just be confirming my beliefs… About… *HACK! COUGH!* Humans…"

"You make a good point."

"I… Shouldn't… Have had to."

"And I shouldn't have to save you to prove that not all humans are bad. But here we are." Shinwoo finished, effectively shutting Rael's mouth as Shinwoo turned a finger into a needle and injected a fair amount of biomass into Rael's chest, making sure there was enough to fully heal him.

"The biomass will take about one hour to fully work on you. Right now, your right knee is shattered. Your seventh, eighth and ninth right ribs and your third, and fourth left ribs are shattered. It would be pointless to reconstruct them. They might as well be powder. The first, third and fifth right ribs are badly fractured, and you have a hairline fracture on the sternum and twelfth and eleventh right and left ribs.

"Your right humerus is badly…"

"Okay… I don't understand any of that! What are you talking about, human!?"

"Sorry. Your body is a mess. Internal bleeding, broken and shattered bones, brain damage, probably lacerated muscle tissue. It's going to take at least an hour for the biomass to heal you completely."

"I understand…" Rael said, saying nothing for a few minutes until Shinwoo began to stand up.

"Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me."

"But I do need to apologize for my behavior. Regis would be appalled at how I've acted toward you. I can't stand that little brat. But, he has a strong sense of ethics in terms of how Nobles should behave. I've definitely violated that code. I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize. I've kind of wanted to become friends with you for a long time, but… You never seemed to want to be friends with any of us. You know, the girls at our school talk about you a lot."

"What?" Rael asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah… You get almost as much attention from the girls at school as Rai does."

"And, why should I care about that?" Rael laughed, coughing rather violently after his ill advised laugher.

"I suppose you wouldn't. Just… Thought I'd tell you. As much as you try to be the sullen and disdainful one in any given situation, people like you."

"Fine, whatever, Shinwoo. Just, go, and don't step on my hand and break it on your way up."

"I wouldn't do that." Shinwoo said, standing up and moving onto the others who were injured to greater or lesser degrees.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

"Shinwoo… I've… Been thinking…" Seira said quietly. She immediately had Shinwoo's full attention. He looked right at her.

"Yes?"

"I've been considering your offer."

"You have? Which offer was that? I'd be willing to offer you just about anything, I can guarantee you." Shinwoo said. Every day, he found new things to love about Seira, and he was sure that he would still, by the end of his indefinitely long life, not find everything that there was to love about her.

"That is very flattering, Shinwoo. I meant your offer to turn me into a Biouser. Does the offer still stand?" Seira asked, blushing slightly.

She was sure that Regis, Rael and quite possibly the other Nobles, wouldn't be too thrilled about her decision. But, after that last close call, she didn't want to risk dying. She was really happy, now, living with Shinwoo. She knew that as a Noble, protecting humanity from the Union, there was always a chance of dying. Before, she never thought that it would bother her. If she died protecting humans, or her Noble bretheren from attack, she would die happy.

But now, she wanted to share her life with Shinwoo. Was that selfish of her? Probably. Regis would probably say it was inelegant to go to those lengths to avoid death. But, she no longer cared.

"Of course it is. Did you want to become one right now, or… Was there… A specific time?"

"Not now. There's school tomorrow, and as I recall the virus takes time to settle."

"Yes. It does. I had heard Ras talking to herself about allowing Rai to infect her as well." Shinwoo said, taking Seira's hand and asking if she wanted to go on a date.

"Good evening, sir… Madam…" The Maitre D' said to Raizel and Raskreia. Even just being in their presence was almost unbearable. They were so attractive, and their aura was overwhelming. The Maitre D' bowed and showed them to their table where Raizel pulled out Raskreia's seat for her and pushed it in before sitting down himself. Rai looked at Raskreia.

 _I am happy that you consented to assist us in defeating Tobias. I am sorry that you were injured._ He said telepathically. Raskreia waved it off mentally.

 _"It was not a serious injury, and despite bleeding a lot, I am told that it will not even leave a scar thanks to your intervention. Your Bioenergy Manipulation is quite impressive. I was…"_ Raskreia began, blushing slightly.

 _"I was considering becoming a biouser as well. Would you recommend it, Raizel?"_ The Lord asked. Raizel merely stared at her, not saying anything for a moment.

 _I will respect your decision either way. It is not vital for you, as it was for me. You are not in threat of Eternal Sleep if you do not. I have vastly amplified your Soul Weapon, and completed it for you, so your power would not be completed if you became a Biouser, only further amplified._

 _"So, you are saying that I should not?"_ Raskreia asked, seeming uncertain, seeking Raizel's counsel.

 _I am not advising you for or against. You must seek the counsel of your own heart in such matters. I cannot advise you on matters concerning your own future. You must seek answers within._

 _"I… Understand… Are you happy having such powers?"_

 _Happy… I suppose I am… Not because I wanted to be more powerful, but because it allows me to spend more time with you, and with my friends._

 _"I understand. I am concerned about Han Shinwoo, though…"_ Raskreia thought, passing the mental message to Raizel, who nodded.

 _Why do you feel such concern over him?_

 _"He seemed so apathetic toward Rael Kertia. I understand that the two of them are hardly friends, and Rael has been less than kind toward Shinwoo, but Shinwoo struck me always as the type who would help his worst enemy if he needed it. He just seemed like the kind of upstanding sort that would never allow personal feelings to stop him from being helpful."_

 _I understand. Shinwoo's apathy was somewhat appalling. He merely needed a push in the right direction, and Rael reminded him of who he was. I would not worry over it unduly. If you need confirmation over it, perhaps ask Shinwoo yourself. He would certainly answer your questions if asked directly. You are the Lord of his girlfriend._ Raizel said with a smile. Raskreia nodded. As their food was set down before them, they separated their chopsticks, seemingly as one, and began eating.

"I am quite full. The food here was heavier than I am used to." Raskreia said. Suddenly, though, Raizel stopped.

"Hey, Rai! Ras! How's it going!?" Shinwoo asked. Raskreia's eyes widened slightly.

"Hello, Han Shinwoo." She said. Raizel merely nodded at him.

"Is something wrong, Ras? You seem upset about something." Shinwoo asked. Raskreia was even more surprised by this question. His psychic empathy was getting more powerful.

"I wish to ask you something. You needn't answer if you don't wish to."

"Sure… I'll answer any question you have." Shinwoo said cheerfully.

"Would you really have let Rael Kertia die?" She asked. Shinwoo could tell that he wouldn't be able to lie to her.

"I'm not sure. I know it sounds cruel. I normally would save even my worst enemy. But something about Rael irks me terribly. I've tried to be nice to him. I've tried to make friends. I've tried including him with my friends, and he seems to reject all of that.

"He insults me. He belittles me. I don't think he's ever had a single nice word to say to me. But it wasn't cool of me to hesitate to heal him just because I don't personally like him."

"There are people for all of us who… What is the human phrase? Grate us the wrong way?"

"Grate on us, or rub us the wrong way. One or the other."

"Yes." Raskreia said, her expression not changing, falling into step with Shinwoo and Seira, heading to the park. While they were there, Shinwoo infected a number of trees with Biomass so that they would produce biomass for him, and of course for Raizel, and soon for Seira as well. Raizel scarcely needed any biomass or bioenergy. He rarely evolved himself. He was already nearly undefeatable. Killing him would require that the person destroyed him beyond the sub-molecular level.

There would have to literally be nothing left of him. He would have to be broken down to Quarks, and Gluons for the bastard to have even the remotest chance to defeat Raizel. Being sucked into a black hole could destroy him. But the odds of that happening were slim to none now that the black hole generator had been destroyed.

Raizel also took some biomass for himself, if only to satisfy Frankenstein, who would ask if he had enough. Now, he could say that he did. Suddenly, Raizel was slammed in the side of the head with a lead bar, sending him to the ground. Raskreia stopped, kneeling down to inspect Raizel, making sure that he was alright. The Noblesse opened his eyes, and cracked his neck, standing up.

"Hey, guys! Check this out! These chicks are super hot! Hey, ladies… Why the hell are you with these two fags?"

"Seira J. Loyard… You have been in this country longer than I have. Are you familiar with their terminology? I have never heard the terms that they use. Are they meant to be derogatory?"

"I'm not entirely sure, Lord. I believe 'chick' is a slang term for woman. But I could not tell you what 'hot' or 'fag' means in this context. Perhaps they are calling us attractive. I have been called that in the past, and I'm certain I've heard some young men around our school speaking to that effect about you as well." Seira said. She wasn't bragging. Merely stating her opinion on the situation.

"Rai, Ras, Seira… Just stay back there. Sit on the bench, if you would. I couldn't ask beings as noble as yourselves to fight such low lives." Shinwoo said, glaring at the growing group of thugs that were coming over. There were at least five men, now. The oldest seemed to be about twenty-five, and the youngest seemed slightly younger than Shinwoo.

"Ahaha! Are you saying that you think you can beat us? Eh, freak!? Stupid fag is pretty cock…" The oldest, and largest of the group said, right before he was sent flying with a spinning kick from Shinwoo, who jumped in the air, and slammed him in the face, knocking out several teeth and breaking his nose. The rest of the group gasped, grabbing their weapons, and coming at Shinwoo with all they had.

Shinwoo immediately ducked, getting into the middle of the group, twirling and tripping three of them, slamming one to the ground and then throwing a second one into another outside his immediate circle. He then proceeded to elbow one in the solar plexus, kneeing him in the groin, picking up a rock and flicking it at one of the thugs near the outside, hitting him square in the head, before cartwheeling to stand in front of them all again.

Already, they had been reduced by about half in less than ten seconds. Several would require medical attention, and some would definitely need to put their wounds on ice.

"You ready to keep going, boys? Or will you show these ladies the proper respect, and get your ugly asses outta here?"

"Wh-who are you! You're… Y-you're a monster!" One of the boys stuttered.

"Han Shinwoo, Yeran High…" He said, going over to the water fountain and washing blood off of his hand, and running the water through his hair.

"Th-this skinny guy is Han Shinwoo!? Y-you're… You're infamous! Dude! Sorry we came at your bitch! No wonder your chick is so sexy…"

"Are you familiar with the term 'sexy', Seira J. Loyard?" Raskreia asked. Seira nodded.

"It's a terribly uncouth term to describe physical attractiveness and general sex appeal. Many humans have a very arbitrary way of defining what is attractive, and these humans call those they find attractive 'sexy' denoting that they have high sex appeal, though these 'ladies' often fall short in terms of standards and sometimes in terms of morals concerning their sexual habits."

"I see. Han Shinwoo is not like that, is he?"

"Not at all. He is very respectful to his female friends, including me. He is respectful almost to a fault, sometimes."

"I see. Then, he is fighting now to defend our honor? Is that something human males still do? Fight for a lady friend's or for their own honor?"

"It's hardly common anymore. However, those rare few like Shinwoo live by a code of honor that they apply to themselves and to everyone around them. I have seen Han Shinwoo fight opponents much larger and stronger than himself, knowing that he could not win, and that he may well die, to defend his friends. I understand that relatively recently, he also fought a large gang of thugs to retrieve stolen items for his classmates.

"I don't believe he even knew who these classmates are. He only needed to hear that they were schoolmates of his, and that they were beaten up and robbed because the gang was looking for Shinwoo to be willing to fight for them."

"Was Han Shinwoo seriously hurt?"

"He beat them all in less than five minutes. And he was not even modified yet."

"That is quite impressive. So Han Shinwoo was an extraordinary human even before becoming a biouser?"

"You might say that, although he would never say that about himself. He does not believe himself to be extraordinary."

"I understand. Thank you, Han Shinwoo… You are far more honorable than humans usually are in my experience."

"Well, you can't judge all humans by the standards of the Union. That would be patently unfair. I apologize for the wait. I would have demanded that they apologize to you for their brutish behavior. But I know they wouldn't understand why they should. So why bother, right?"

"Thank you, Linus, for always walking me home like this…" Yuna said, blushing slightly. She had enjoyed getting to know M-21 of late. When they walked back to Yuna's apartment, they walked slowly, and Yuna asked questions about M-21's past. For the most part, he didn't really know the answers to those questions. He could answer some of them based on what he learned from the documents about him from the Union.

For instance, he was originally Finnish, and came from a small village called Bennäs. He wasn't sure he wanted to go back. After all, what if he went back and didn't remember any of it? What if he did but they didn't remember him? What if they did remember him, and were horrified by what he had become? After all, he was very different from when he was a normal human. He could scarcely be compared to a normal human now, or even a modified human. He was almost as powerful as one of the weaker Werewolves.

And he was becoming more powerful by the day, sparring with Shinwoo and the rest. It was incredible that in such a short time, he had become so powerful when before, he had struggled for every little bit of power and respect.

"You know, Miss Yuna… These days, I barely recognize myself… I'm so different than I was when I was a servant of the Union. I'm strong, powerful… But I'm not sure I even like it."

"Really? Boy, what I wouldn't give to be able to do what you can do." Yuna said with a giggle. "I know you didn't ask for that power, but you never have to just take anything sitting down. You can fight if you need to. I want to ask Shinwoo if he would teach me to fight like he does… But… He's so happy with Seira, and I don't want to take away the time he spends with her. He has to do schoolwork, too… And train himself, and clean his apartment."

"Miss Yuna… Has Shinwoo never told you? He probably can finish his homework in fifteen or twenty minutes, and I've been to his home. The walls and floors are loaded with biomass. His home is self-cleaning, essentially. As for teaching you martial arts, I'm sure he'd be flattered if you asked him. There's no reason that you shouldn't be able to defend yourself. I could teach you a little bit if you like. I'm not as skilled as Shinwoo, but I learned to fight as a part of my RK training."

"RK?" Yuna asked, cocking her head to the left.

"We're Raizel's Knights. We fight in his the name of the Noblesse."

"Ahaha! I see… You're a really nice guy, Linus… I'm sorry that I couldn't get to know you sooner."

"It's been fun… I don't have many friends outside my home, and I don't think I have any normal human friends other than you."

"What?" Yuna asked, raising an eyebrow and stopping suddenly. "Come on, we're all your friends… Ikhan, Suyi… All the kids at Yeran really like you. Why would you say you have no human friends?"

"Well… I…" Linus began. "This is… A little embarrassing. I'm not very good with people. I'm good at egging people on, at getting them angry. It's what I do best in the RK. I get the enemy angry, and they make mistakes in battle.

"But… I don't know how to explain it, but I'm not very socially adept. I always kind of wish I could be alone, reading a book, or watching Doctor Who…"

"Ahahaha!" Yuna laughed, tears of mirth flooding her eyes.

"What? Did I say something funny?"

"No, no! Not at all! I just never would have guessed you liked Doctor Who! You and Ikhan would get along great! You two'd probably be able to talk for hours! Who's your favorite Doctor?" Yuna asked, wiping her tears away.

"Mmm… I guess the Tenth Doctor. He's everything I'm not. Confident, charismatic."

"Haha… I've always been fond of the Twelfth Doctor, myself. He's more recent, but very funny."

"What? But why?" Linus asked, raising an eyebrow. "He's so unkind. So unlike you." He finished quietly, turning a light pink color upon realizing what he had said.

"Oh… Thank you…" Yuna said, blushing slightly as well, looking away. Maybe he really did like her? Was the feeling mutual? She had sort of had a crush on him for a while.

He had been so kind to her. He walked her home every day, he never complained about spending time with her. She kind of wished she could spend more time with him.

"Would you like to come in for a l-little while?"

"I'm not certain that would be… Appropriate." M-21 said uncertainly. He would have been happy to. But he didn't want to anger the boss.

"Well, i-if you don't want to…"

"No, I'd be honored. I'm… Not used to being friends with normal humans. I'm sorry…"

"Oh, no. It's alright. Please, come in. I'll make some tea and biscuits." Yuna said happily, pulling Linus inside, and pushing him down on the couch.

"Mom! I've brought a friend home!"

"Oh, hello… Um…" Yuna's mom began, blinking uncertainly. "You're… You're… A schoolmate of Yuna's?

"No, ma'am. I'm a security guard at the school. I… Apologize for disturbing your evening. I walked Miss Yuna home. Please excuse me…" Linus muttered shyly, hurrying to the door.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

"No, no! Please don't leave. I really need to thank you somehow for walking me home every day like you do! You must have a life outside the school…"

"I need no thanks, and I understand your mother's concerns. A thirty-something year old is taking an unusual interest in her teenage daughter. From her perspective, at least. And that's odd, isn't it, ma'am? I apologize if I caused you any concern."

"No, no, Mr…"

"Linus… Please just call me Linus…" M-21 said to Yuna's mother. She nodded.

"Linus. That's an unusual name. Are you a westerner?"

"I honestly don't remember my life before I came to Korea, but my file says that I was born in Finland."

"Well, Mr. Linus… I'm grateful that you're willing to take time out of your life for my daughter. She won't tell me what happened, but… I'm worried about her. She doesn't sleep well. She wakes up in a cold sweat. Her friends won't enlighten me either. They know something, and I sense that you know as well. Are you going to refuse to tell me as well?" Mrs. Seo asked, eyebrows knit with worry.

"It would not be my place, Ma'am, and you wouldn't like the answer if I did tell you. You would undoubtedly hate me, and be afraid of me."

"No I wouldn't."

"I can't take that chance. It's already risk enough that her friends know about it. I can't risk your life as well. I am truly sorry. But I won't risk civilians' lives by blabbing."

"I… I understand… Linus, please come with me in the other room. I'll make some snacks for you. You must be hungry. Yuna, dear… Get started on your homework… _Now!_ "

"Yes, Mom." Yuna said quietly, hurrying to her room while Linus went to the kitchen. As soon as he got in the room, he was shoved into a chair, and Mrs. Seo grabbed a knife and held it to his throat.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Linus… I-I hate to do this to you. You've protected my daughter. You've been good to her, and by extension to me. I know this is a poor way to repay you for your kindness, but I _need_ to know what happened to my daughter! She suffered, and is still suffering now, and I-I can't help her. If you had children you'd know how it would feel to see them every day and know that you can't help them! Please! _Please_ let me help her!" Mrs. Seo pleaded. Linus sighed. He couldn't deny her, now.

"Mrs. Seo. Are you familiar with Han Shinwoo?"

Yuna's mother nodded. "D-did he do something to her?"

"No, ma'am. In fact, he very likely saved her life, and the lives of all of his friends. But Shinwoo is just the start of this. Almost a year ago, something happened to him. I won't elaborate too much.

"He came afoul of a powerful sociopolitical organization, and Miss Yuna, Mr. Ikhan, and Miss Suyi were kidnapped, and… The kidnapper threatened to murder them… One by one… I don't doubt that he would have tortured them first as well, and I'm sure they knew that as well. As if that wasn't frightening enough, he then offered them a chance to live a little longer, as long as Yuna could hold out."

"H-hold out?"

"Having sex with him. She agreed, though, in reality, it was under extreme duress. He called Shinwoo and told him that he had his friends, and that if Shinwoo didn't come within the hour and bring what he demanded, he would kill one friend for every minute he didn't come. However, if Miss Yuna could keep him busy, then they would have that extra time to live.

"Naturally, Yuna, being the noble young woman that she is, agreed."

"H-he… Raped my Yuna?"

"No ma'am. Shinwoo arrived just in time to save her. Sadly, Shinwoo was forced to commit murder that night.

"It hasn't been easy on him, although he hides it well."

"I take it… From your firsthand account of the events… That you were there as well, protecting my daughter?"

"Not as such. Certainly, I was there. But… My assistance was hardly needed. As you know, Han Shinwoo is a highly capable individual. Even against a man with military training, he somehow prevailed. I've always been in awe of his talent."

"I understand. And… Yuna… She's… Still feeling traumatized over the close encounter. I really wish she had told me. I could have helped her! I could have done something!

"Does she not trust me!? Does she…"

"I don't know, Mrs. Seo. I wouldn't know anything about having a biological family. Thank you for the tea. It's delicious." Linus said quietly, taking a sip. Suddenly, Yuna's mother had the urge to hug Linus. She barely knew him, but he seemed very uncomfortable for some reason.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Linus? You seem… I hesitate to say unhappy, but…"

"No. I'm better than ever. I have friends. I have a family. I have a job. What more could I ask for?"

"How old are you, Mr. Linus?"

"I thought that question might come up. I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps in my late twenties or early thirties? It seems about right."

"And… You think it's appropriate for you to be romantically interested in an eighteen year old woman?" Yuna's mother asked. Linus sighed.

"Mmm… May I ask what you think my relationship is with Miss Yuna?"  
"You and she aren't dating?" Yuna's mother asked. Linus shook his head.

"No. I don't believe so."

Mrs. Seo's eyes narrowed. M-21 was acting strange.

"What do you mean you don't believe so? How could you not know?"

"I haven't really got any experience with that kind of thing, and honestly, I'm feeling a little uncomfortable with this line of questioning. I'm not doing anything inappropriate with your daughter. Yes, I would be ecstatic if she was interested in me. She's smart, beautiful, kind, gentle, funny… everything that I was trained in my past not to be.

"If you are uncomfortable with me being around her, though, I will restrict my contact with her to the boss's house, and to school, both of which I can't possibly avoid her in." Linus said flatly. Mrs. Seo seemed taken aback by M-21's compliments to Yuna. Maybe he wasn't such an odd person.

"Hm, I'm sure that Yuna would be flattered if she knew how you felt about her. It's funny. You have a slightly strange bearing. I can't put my finger on it, but you don't seem bad.

"I was on my guard at first. As a mother, I developed a sort of sixth sense to protect my daughter. Mothers of girls have so much to worry about in life. Boys who… Well, it shouldn't be your concern. But when you started your story about that strange man… She said at one point that she had a young western man as a boyfriend… It wasn't that long ago. Is he the man you were talking about? I can't for the life of me remember his name."

"Tesamu…"

"That's it. So, that was him? Thank you, Mr. Linus for your candor. I appreciate you being forthright with me. I'm not certain if I'm comfortable with my Yuna dating someone so much older than her. But I suppose you seem like an honest enough man. You have a steady job, and steady housing. So, you're at least not a vagabond."

"I appreciate your understanding. I'll go now, Mrs. Seo. The tea was good." Linus said, going over to the sink and putting soap in the cup, washing it with hot water and a sponge before putting the cup and the saucer in the dish rack. Mrs. Seo thought it unusual that a guest would be so conscientious as to wash their own dishes at someone else's house.

"Have a good evening, Miss Seo."

"Wait! Let me at least walk you out!" Yuna called, putting on her shoes hurriedly, and going out the door behind Linus. She looked at him sternly.

"I heard you talking to my mother. You told her the entire story of what happened with Tesamu."

"I'm sorry. She… Do all mothers have the ability to guilt people into confessing things?"

"I'm afraid so. Your mother probably had that same ability. It's because you know they're genuinely concerned about their children, and that they get scared when something might be wrong. It feels strange, doesn't it? I don't blame you. If you hadn't been won over by the fact that she guilted you into it, you probably would have told her the story when she held that knife to your throat."

"Miss Yuna… A knife in my throat wouldn't kill me. My regeneration would have me good as new in less than a minute. Besides, she wouldn't have attacked me. She was more afraid of me than I was of her. She's just a normal middle aged woman. I'm a strange, possibly dangerous man who's taken an interest in her daughter. She would have attacked me if she had to. But I was not going to give her a reason to. You seem to have heard a lot of what we talked about.

"You… Heard what I said about you?"

"You mean that I'm smart, beautiful, kind, gentle, and funny… And that you would be ecstatic if I were attracted to you?"

Linus turned a deep red color.

"Y-yes… I apologize. I should not have said anything… Imagine, a thirty year old man chasing after an eighteen year old." M-21 said, bowing politely at the door and starting to walk away. Yuna grabbed his hand, though, and stopped him, pulling him back to her.

"Linus… Over these past few months, I've really enjoyed getting to know you better. You were always so mysterious, and I wondered if you actually ever liked any of us, or if your time spent with us was just part of your job. Your willingness to go so far out of your way for me, walking me home after school like this. Sometimes, you even waited in the PC Bang for us to finish, and then walked me home… I never knew it was because you had feelings for me.

"I am flattered, and… A little bit happy… I-I think I feel the same way, honestly. You may not see it in yourself, but you are kind. You're gentle and even if you have to do violence to protect those you love, your gentle soul still shines through, and… I appreciate that…" Yuna said, pulling Linus close, and kissing him on the lips.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

As Yuna pulled away, blushing a pale pink, Linus was completely stunned. For a moment, he just stood on the precipice, not saying anything until Yuna woke him up.

"Linus! _Linus!_ "

"Sorry… I… I don't know what to say."

"Say you'll go out with me. If it's an ethical dilemma, there is none. I graduate in a few weeks. So I won't even be a student anymore. No conflict of interest anymore."

"That's not it. I don't think the boss would like that… And I don't think your friends would either, especially Shinwoo… He may not be attracted to you anymore, but I'm sure he's still protective of you, just as he is with all his friends."

"I… You make a good point. I think they'll understand, though. I'll explain it to them. Can I go to Principal Lee's home with you?"

"Yes. I suppose so." Linus said, seeming happy that she was being so assertive in this.

"Good evening, Principal Lee, Takeo, Tao… Artemis, Yuizi… Rai… Everyone else… Gosh, there are so many of you here now. It must be nice to have such a full house, Headmaster…" Yuna said, walking in with M-21.

"Yes…" Frankenstein said, rather unconvincingly. "It's… Nice… So this is where you've been, M-21… Walking Miss Yuna here. That was very gentlemanly of you."

"Yes. I…"

"Hey, Yuna! You've been spending a lot of time with Linus these days! You two dating?" Tao asked with a laugh, clearly not taking the question seriously.

Suyi turned and scowled at Tao, who shrank away.

"Yes. We kind of just started dating today." Yuna said, smiling at Linus, who blushed slightly.

"Oh, my… Look at the time. Han Shinwoo… Would you be so good as to take Miss Yuna home. It's quite late, and you have school tomorrow. Have a good night." Frankenstein said, turning and looking meaningfully at M-21, who gulped, but followed Frankenstein down to the laboratory.

"M-21… I appreciate that you're a man just like any other. I can't demand that you stop dating Miss Yuna. But you are much older than she. What did the file say your age was?"

"Well, it said I was chronologically about 135 years old. But, I can't possibly be physically more than 27 or 28. Why do you ask?"

"You are much older than Miss Yuna. She's eighteen. Legally, she's old enough to be in a relationship with you. But in terms of experience, it might be considered an unequal relationship."

"How do you mean? I may or may not have ever had a relationship before this. I don't remember my life before the Union, and they mention a few things about me in my file, but no personal things like relationships.

"I was 21 when they captured me. They implanted me with the Werewolf heart. For ten years, I was in a tube because they needed extended time to care for me so that the heart didn't destroy me. After that, I needed medication to delay the rejection. That lasted for about 100 years, until I no longer needed the pills. I started planning my escape, but knew that it was unlikely ever to work. I don't recall ever having a girlfriend or any such romantic partner.

"My experience is lacking in that area."

"That is irrelevant. You have more experience in life, especially in manipulation. I want you to make sure that you never, intentionally or unintentionally coerce her into doing anything she doesn't want to do. She's had enough trouble with men. That's why you started walking her home in the first place. She hasn't sought treatment for her Post-Traumatic Stress, and she seems to be recovering well regardless.

"However, I'm sure you wouldn't want to have to deal with Shinwoo if you were ever to hurt her, would you? I doubt you'd get off easily." Frankenstein said with a mad smirk.

"No. I would never hurt Yuna. I truly care about her. I know she's young. Maybe that's one of the things I like so much about her, her youthful energy.

"My own family must have died decades ago. I don't really remember them, and I may not look old, but I feel old sometimes. Her youthful energy is refreshing."

"I'm glad that you're happy. Regardless, exercise caution. It would not serve you well to anger Shinwoo… Or my master. And I would not be so forgiving, either."

"I understand." M-21 said nervously. Frankenstein smiled happily.

"Good! Don't look so upset! You've just gotten a date with a gorgeous, demure young woman! Enjoy your youth…"

"I'm 135 years old! I'm hardly young…"

"You're young compared to me, and of course to Master, and most of those who live here."

"Of course."

"How is your training coming? You're sparring with Muzaka and with the other Werewolves in the house so that you can learn how to fight like a true Werewolf, right?"

"Yes. It's going well. Shinwoo has also been helping me. I've been learning more from him than he's been learning from me."

"Well, good. Come on up, and help with the cleaning. We'll go downstairs later, and spar. Training with your team is good, but individual strength is also important."

"Hey, Linus…" Yuna called, hurrying away from the group. Only Shinwoo could hear what the two said after that, due to his enhanced hearing. Of course, since Tao shouted it out, he knew that Yuna and Linus were dating.

"Did you talk to Principal Lee last night?"

"Yes… He says that he approves the relationship, but if I hurt you, I'm dead."

"Ahahaha! What did you say after that?"

"I told him that…"

After that, Shinwoo headed to class. He smiled to himself, though. It was good that Yuna was recovering well from nearly being raped, and he was happy that she was happy. Oddly enough, he wasn't jealous at all that she was in a relationship. He always thought that he would, even if it was just as a friend. Was this as a result of him being happy with Seira? Or maybe as a side effect of his Biomass Manipulation. He would have to investigate the issue.

Maybe Frankenstein would know the answer. He usually did.

"Hey, Rai… Ras… You're back! That's great! You feeling better, Rai?"

Raizel nodded once in his usual succinct manner.

"Great! Let's get to class! Pedro won't like it if we're late. Never mind that I already know everything that he's teaching, and you spend most of your time in Principal Lee's office."

Raizel nodded again, and continued walking towards the principal's office while Shinwoo headed to class, and sat down, almost immediately falling asleep. He had recently taken to Lucid Dreaming when he was asleep. He had evolved the ability in himself, but rarely used it, as he didn't need sleep, and enjoyed letting the dreams take him where they would. Sometimes, though, he did control them, and when he did, they got really crazy.

Suddenly, the bell rang, and Shinwoo shot up in his seat, packing up his things, and hurrying out of the classroom to get to his next class. The rest of the day passed slowly. Shinwoo continued to sleep through classes, but would wake up seconds before the teacher would ask him a question, and be completely ready with the answer. It was kind of cheating to use his precognition so that he could sleep through class, but after a while, the teacher stopped asking him questions because it was obvious he was paying attention.

After class, Yuna stopped Shinwoo, smiling nervously at him.

"Hey, Yuna… So, what's up?"

"Well… I wondered if you could teach me martial arts? You know, ever since… That… I-I've been really anxious, and I want to be able to defend myself."

"But, can't Linus defend you? Yeah…" Shinwoo said, winking at Yuna. "Of course I know. Oppa has no indoor voice. Plus, I noticed last night the way you were looking at each other. No way you could hide that." He finished. Yuna blushed, but nodded.

"He could… But I want to be able to fight for myself. I don't want to always have to depend on others to protect me."

"I could tune you up a bit. Make you stronger, more durable… Imbue you with some martial arts."

"Really? I didn't know that Biomass Manipulation could grant people knowledge."

"It certainly can. Bioenergy Manipulation is more efficient at it, though. I'll write some instructions down as well. You need to start working out. Martial arts is great, but if you don't have the endurance, it won't do much good."

"I see. So, like, running and such?"

"You could run… Or use an elliptical, stairmaster, etcetera. I can make you stronger and more durable, but you still have to maintain it. Let's go somewhere a little more private. We could go to Principal Lee's house, if you're not comfortable with mine."

"It doesn't matter. I trust you."

"Ah, hey, Linus! Do you mind if I borrow your girl for about half an hour?"

"What? Don't you have Miss Seira?" Linus asked, his scowl deepening.

"Oh, sorry… I'm just gonna teach her some martial arts and give her a bit of a tune up. Nothing inappropriate. I swear. You can join us, if you like." Shinwoo said. Linus nodded, and followed.

"Okay, now, having this much knowledge and skill enter your brain all at once is an intense experience. It won't feel good. But, it will be over in about five to ten seconds, depending on how many forms of martial arts you want to know. So what styles do you want to learn?"

"Well… Um… What styles do you know?" Yuna asked, cocking her head slightly. Linus leaned in as well.

"Well… Let's see… Judo, Taekwondo, MMA, Jujitsu… A lot of grappling styles. You'd probably be more at ease with styles like Baguazhang, Capoeira… You took some dancing when you were younger right?" Shinwoo asked. Yuna nodded.

"Good… Probably some styles that can turn the opponent's force against them. Baguazhang and Tai Chi would be good styles."

"Any styles that you think would help me. Thanks, Shinwoo…" Yuna said with a smile. Shinwoo nodded, and put a finger on her forehead, breathing in. Yuna gasped as a sudden shock struck her hard, nearly collapsing. This lasted for about ten seconds before Shinwoo released her.

"I… I know dancing martial arts." Yuna muttered.

"Now, stay still." Shinwoo said, taking Yuna's arms and pumping some bioenergy into her, toning her muscles, and making her lungs stronger as well as her legs. After about twenty seconds, he finished, and let go of her again.

"Now, let's have something to celebrate. I've got some food. Not much, but I can make tea, and we can whiskey up that tea… Celebrate the way the Irish do." Shinwoo said, laughing.

"Sh-Shinwoo… You and I are underage! We can't drink!"

"Han Shinwoo can't drink… But Han Youngsoo can…" Shinwoo said, showing Yuna a driver's license with the picture of a slightly older looking Shinwoo on it."

"Shinwoo! That's illegal!"

"Illegal… True. But, alcohol doesn't affect me unless I want it to. I can allow myself to get drunk if I want to, but if not, it's just a fun pastime."

"Really? Wow. Well, still… No alcohol for me. Just some tea."

"Sounds good." Shinwoo said, heading into the kitchen, and coming back out a few moments later with tea, handing one to Yuna, then to Linus, then sitting down himself, sipping the tea.

"Can I do anything for you, Linus? A strength boost? Resistance to elements? Enhanced regeneration? You've already got incredible regeneration due to being a Werewolf."

"Actually, I'm not a full Werewolf. I'm a human who had a Werewolf's heart implanted in him."

"I see. That's interesting. So, you're a modified human?" Shinwoo asked. Linus nodded.

"What about you? You've got a huge homerun business, and you're only eighteen. You're a famous internet cook, a well known martial artist, a weapons maker. What's next? Are you going to invent next generation computers? Highly efficient energy sources?"

"I've already done both those things. See this little box?" Shinwoo asked, grabbing a small box from the cabinet, and showing it to both Linus and Yuna, both of whom nodded. The box was about three feet by two feet by two feet, and looked like it would be heavier than it seemed at first glance.

"This is a tidal turbine. There's a sensitive node inside the box that reacts to the tides, and generates energy from them. It will revolutionize energy production.

"I've also created this…" Shinwoo said, taking out a toy car set, and opening the window, letting the sun stream in. He set a car down on the road, and Linus and Yuna watched in amazement as the car began moving along the road. Yuna gasped.

"H-how? Is the car solar powered?"

"No. The road is solar powered. It was originally thought of by a Finnish company to make solar panels that can be turned into roadways. The panels will absorb the sunlight, and they are also LED panels, and as such can be used to create the lines on the road. They're highly resistant to damage, if not completely immune to it, and can easily be repaired when they are damaged. In fact, since they are just biomass, they can repair themselves to a certain extent. Watch." Shinwoo said excitedly.

Shinwoo took a tiny hammer and smashed one of the panels, watching with satisfaction as it began to repair itself.

"And, assuming there's some type of grass or other biological matter within… Say… 100 miles of that particular panel, the road's panels work cooperatively, and the grass will be absorbed, and used to continue to repair the road.

"Furthermore, if just New York City were completely paved with solar panels, it could power all of America three times over. So the roads could turn into a renewable energy net. No need for power plants. As long as the place that's paved with the panels is connected via power lines, or even better, by more solar roads, entire continents can be powered by this cooperative net."

"Shinwoo… This… This is unbelievable. This is probably a century beyond any power source we have now." Yuna said excitedly.

"I'm sure the Union has thought of both of these things already. Besides, like I said, a Finnish inventor was the original creator of the solar powered road. It's not so amazing. Now, this next one is amazing. I created what is essentially a Big Bang in a Bauble.

"I got the idea from the Men in Black movie. It produces the power of a hundred trillion supernova explosions, and can be connected via these tiny wires to anything that can send out energy. This tiny thing, barely bigger than a knuckle joint, can power the world billions of times over forever… Perhaps it's a bit of overkill. If the military got wind of this, they would never stop hassling me, so I'd appreciate it if you could keep these things a secret."

"Sure. I understand. But you should share these things with the world. You hardly need more money, but the world could benefit from these inventions. I think they would even make the boss jealous." Linus said with a smirk. Shinwoo sighed. "Well, he can have them. Maybe he'd know how to get news of them out there. China invented a pollution filter that's 100 feet tall. It filters a million cubic feet of pollution per hour, and boy, they need it.

"They could use like ten of them to even make a dent in the pollution." Shinwoo said with a laugh. Yuna and Linus nodded. Linus had been to China a few times, and found the air pollution intolerable. Shinwoo took out one more object. It was a ball approximately the size of a kickball.

"Now, this can be changed into just about any shape without losing its efficacy. This is a lot like that pollution filtering tower.

"Except I used the research that I did on the tower to improve the ability. This will filter approximately ten billion cubic meters of pollution in an hour. And like I said, it will turn into any shape someone wants. So it could turn into an attractive lawn ornament if we were so inclined. Watch." Shinwoo said, turning it into a beautiful marble white fountain, then into a statue, then into a set of stairs.

"Unbelievable. You just put all the world's greatest scientists to shame in fifteen minutes." Linus said, seeming envious. Shinwoo sighed.

"Well, I don't mean to brag, but my IQ is now about 824, and I've read every scientific article ever published, including all the notes for scientific discoveries that have ever been made in the world. So, I guess… Tell me, what do you do when you're bored, Linus?

"I was in such a hurry to improve myself that… I didn't stop to think that I've got an eternity to do all that I want to do. I've hacked into the Union's files, and read all their scientific notes on every project they've ever done. I've assisted Principal Lee with his modification experiments on one or two occasions. I'm out of ideas."

"Well… For us… Non-geniuses…" Linus said, scowling slightly. "We learn a new hobby, go out with friends, take up an instrument, or try singing."

"Singing and instruments, right…" Shinwoo said, materializing a violin, and beginning to play a heart wrenchingly beautiful piece, all while singing the most amazing opera piece.

"You see?"

"Wow." Yuna said. "You weren't kidding when you said you'd done it all. Well… You could always just… Have fun living life. Or you could go to outer space, and terraform other planets, making them suitable for human life…" Yuna said, half joking.

"You're right… I should just live my life. But you guys… You're about to go away to college, and I could do that. But… there's not much point. I've got all the money I need. I don't need to go to college to learn a trade. I could fake a degree, and do the job better than any human who actually went to college."

"You're not doing real well on the modesty thing, right now, Shinwoo…" Linus said.

"Sorry… I'll shut up. Would you like more tea?" Shinwoo asked. Both shook their heads.

"I need to get home before my mother calls the cops to start looking for me."

"And it's my turn to do the dishes tonight…" Linus said. Shinwoo never stopped wondering at how one man could cow all those modified humans, Nobles, and Werewolves into such menial servitude.

"I have one more thing to show you… Well, a few more things. Come with me outside. It's in back." Shinwoo said, taking them out into the back yard, where there was a greenhouse. It was a large greenhouse that looked beautifully made. As they went inside, Yuna gasped at how hot it was.

"This greenhouse has multiple areas inside, each of which has different environments. This is the tropical area. I've created numerous new plants. I'm not sure if they're ready to be released yet.

"Korea isn't the right location for these particular flowers. But look at this one. It's a flower with rudimentary intelligence. It can set traps for small animals. The vines are mere extensions of the main flower. The vines also grow smaller flowers that can shoot venomous spikes that are approximately a thousand times more toxic than the neurotoxin that the Blue Ringed Octopus produces.

"It's so powerful that one ten thousandth of a microliter of it can completely paralyze an elephant, and one thousandth of a microliter will completely destroy the elephant's nervous system, killing them. In other words, each stinger that this plant has possesses enough neurotoxin to kill most of the human race. Though each stinger only produces a milliliter, that's enough to produce ten million lethal doses for an elephant.

"If you assume that the average human weighs 75.79 kilograms, and the average elephant weighs 3,779.78 kilograms, then the lethal dose for an elephant would kill 50 humans. You see how dangerous this poison is? I call it Decus Mortus, or Deadly Beauty."

"Oh, my God! Shinwoo! Do you really have nothing better to do with your time than to create these insane poisons?"

"Well… This was really just a test. I wanted to see if I could. I can't burn down the greenhouse. First of all, I've created numerous plants that can be therapeutic. This one thrives in hot, humid environments, and I've done some tests on it and found that it can delay the onset of Alzheimers if taken in small doses daily. Both the flower and the leaf can be used for this purpose.

"On another note, though, if I burned it down, then the smoke it released would be laced with the neurotoxin, and it would kill everyone that it reached. I don't want to be responsible for that kind of mass murder."

"Aren't you afraid you'll be affected by the toxin, Shinwoo?" Yuna asked. Shinwoo shook his head.

"I'm completely immune to poison. It would be passed through my system too fast to do anything. My regeneration keeps poison from doing anything. But you two needed to get home. Have a good night. I apologize for keeping you so long."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

"I assume you behaved yourself, Linus?" Frankenstein said, not even looking up from his tea. Linus nodded.

"Yes. We were invited over to Han Shinwoo's home. Miss Yuna… Yuna… wanted to learn martial arts so that she could defend herself in the future.

"Han Shinwoo imbued her with martial arts, and increased her strength, and other physical abilities, and advised her to begin working out more frequently."

"I see… How does Shinwoo's home seem to you?" Frankenstein asked, seeming curious. Linus scratched his head.

"Well… It's… It's a total science museum… He has a car and a road set where the roads are solar powered, and transfer the power to the car, a miniature air pollution filter that can filter ten billion cubic meters of pollution per hour, tidal turbines that I assume actually work, and he has a huge greenhouse full of exotic plants that he bred himself."

"Oh, my. Shinwoo is quite the prolific scientist. A greenhouse, you say?"

"Yes. There was a plant in there that had a central flower, and numerous vines that ended in smaller flowers that shot tiny needles that injected the subject with a neurotoxin that could paralyze an elephant with one ten thousandth of a microliter."

"Amazing. Did he say whether this would work on modified humans? Certainly, a modified human could be hardier than an elephant, and they may well be immune to most poisons."

"He… Didn't say. But I suspect that it could damage modified humans in higher doses. After all, if one microliter could kill every human in the world several times over…"

"I see… Did he say why he was making such a toxic plant? Surely he has better things to do with his time?"

"Well… He's figured out how to make the bokken make themselves… With specific instructions. So, now, he can devote more time to hobbies."

"Fascinating. Shinwoo is becoming more and more interesting. I must confess to being slightly jealous. Shinwoo's scientific prowess is awe inspiring. Oh, hold on. I have a visitor… Wait… Did one of the children forget something? Tao? Takeo? Did you find any of the children's belongings?"

"No…" Tao said. Frankenstein sighed and opened the door.

"Han Shinwoo… To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" Frankenstein asked, not terribly convincingly.

"Sorry to bother you. I just… I've been working on a potted flower for you for the past few months, and I kept having to scrap it because it wasn't quite right."

"I see… You do have quite the fascinating plant in your hands. What do you call it?" Frankenstein asked. Shinwoo smiled proudly.

"The Lancea Tenebris, or the…"

"Dark Spear… Shinwoo… This is… Quite impressive. How did you manage to create such a flower? Splicing? Mixing seeds? Recombining the DNA of other plants?"

"No. I created this one from scratch. It was the least I could do after all you've done for me."

"Ahahahaha! Well…" Frankenstein said, laughing at this thought. He had mostly done it to watch Shinwoo's growth, and Shinwoo had long ago surpassed what Frankenstein expected of him.

"Be careful. The leaves and petals are toxic… It was one of the features that I could have gotten rid of, but never did. I wouldn't touch any part of the flower, though you need to water it… Well, there's some instructions that I wrote for it." Shinwoo said, handing Frankenstein a page and a half of instructions.

They included keeping the plant in total shade, and not letting the environment go over 15.56oC (approx 60oF), watering the plant only once a week with about a cup of cold water. It had instructions on caring for the plant, pruning it, etcetera, and that it was highly toxic if ingested, and could cause a severe allergic reaction if skin contact was made, so gloves were well advised.

"This plant seems very dangerous."

"I can take away the poison if you like."

"No… I like it." Frankenstein said, feeling that it suited him well.

"By the way, would the poison be deadly if ingested? For example, if mashed up, could it be turned into a useable poison?"

"I thought you'd ask that. The plant can be turned into a poison like that. One full leaf would be deadly for an average human male. The plant, as long as you water it, has a certain level of regeneration, though it won't regenerate forever. It generates its own biomass at a rate of one unit every third day, and, if not used to regenerate, will use it to grow.

"The plant can become quite large if left unchecked. I did some tests on it. It will grow to a height of 152.4 cm (5 feet) in a month if you don't test the regeneration at all. At that point, it will be about half as wide as it is tall, and can continue if not checked. If imbued with an order to cease growth via biomass, it will stop growing.

"It does best in early spring and early fall when the weather is cool outside, and will likely recede in the hot and cold months."

"Shinwoo… Is there a way to stop it growing so rampantly in any other way?"

"The taking of about five leaves per week will stop its growth, though, as it gets bigger, it will begin to generate more of its own biomass, and thus, will regenerate faster. If you have a question, you can probably ask me. I should have done more research before I gave it to you. I have an entire underground greenhouse devoted to this plant's sister. Rather than a hothouse, it's a coolhouse. It keeps the area cool and generates indirect UV radiation that creates shade for the plant.

"It's a lot of fun to do. But, the plant is already 457.2 cm tall, and 304.8 cm wide. I've tried to keep it from growing by completely removing its leaves, but that only slows it down to growing at about a third its normal speed. I modified the plant you hold to grow slower, but I'm uncertain of the effectiveness of that programming."

"I'm certain that between the people in this house, we'll figure it out.

"Will burning it slow it, or will that kill it?"

"I tried that. It slows its regeneration to about a tenth of its normal speed, but it also releases the toxin into aerosol form, and if breathed in, will likely cause irreparable damage to your lungs." 

"I see… So burning is out."

"No. Just, bring an oxygen mask with you that seals around your face if you do burn it." Shinwoo replied. Frankenstein couldn't help being proud of his student's impressive, albeit reckless work.

"Oh, how is your weapon making business going?"

"Thanks for asking! I've got more orders than I know what to do with. I've already created ten clones of myself to generate weapons for me, and I'm still a little backed up. I have a… Well, for lack of a better term, a workshop underground. Each Shinwoo clone can generate 1000 weapons an hour, that's 240,000 weapons in a 24 hour period. I need to make more clones.

"I'm needing to get more and more biomass these days because I'm connected to my clones, and all my biomass is their biomass as well, and they use it up so quickly… I've increased the amount of biomass that I, and by extension, they, spontaneously generate each day by a factor of 100, and there's still not enough to go around!"

"Shinwoo… You're running yourself ragged. Why don't you imbue the plants in your greenhouse with the ability to spontaneously generate large amounts of biomass, and connect yourself to them, so that you get biomass automatically when they do, and so do your clones? Make more clones of yourself, or have them make clones of themselves."

"A clone of a clone? Is that even possible?"

"I'm not certain. Try it once, and if it doesn't work, don't do it again. Tomorrow starts the weekend, and you might be able to relax."

"Sorry… Not much time for relaxing these days. I need double the clones I have now just to keep up with the huge number of orders I have. I got 5,000,000 orders just last week, some of them for huge numbers of weapons.

"I'm swimming in money, but I'm also completely spent on time."

"You have temporal-spatial distortion abilities via your telekinesis. Why not affect the room that your clones are working in to change the flow of time. Speed up time in the room so your clones can make more swords, and no extra time goes by outside."

"You mean like the Room of Spirit and Time in Dragon Ball Z? Principal Lee, that's brilliant! Why didn't I think of that!?"

"Well… I hope it helps you, Shinwoo… You should get home…"

"Actually, I have one more thing to do. Last week, Seira asked me to do something before the weekend and I said I would."

Seira nodded, and headed upstairs with Shinwoo.

"Seira… Are you absolutely certain about this? Once I imbue you with this power, there's no taking it back. I could try, but it's just as likely to kill you as it is to work."

"I am certain, Han Shinwoo… I want to be a Biouser." Seira said quietly. Shinwoo nodded, and embraced Seira, kissing her gently, passing the virus to her. After that, he stared into her eyes, using powerful hypnotic suggestion to put her to sleep so that she wouldn't need to suffer as much. The only reason that his power worked on her was because, despite her being a Noble, he was already far more powerful than she was.

Shinwoo brought Seira over to the bed, and helped her into it, sitting down next to her.

"The next few hours won't be pleasant. But, I have faith that you'll pull through, Seira…" Shinwoo said, looking down at Seira lovingly.

"You'll be fine. I swear it." Shinwoo said. He knew that he shouldn't make promises that he couldn't necessarily keep. But he loved her so much that he wanted to promise her everything.

"Han Shinwoo! I believed you were a good person! I believed that you would never pass on your disease to Seira! How dare you infect her with your modification!" Rael demanded furiously. Shinwoo sighed, and smiled placatingly at the young Noble.

"I know I passed my modification onto her. But she asked me to, so if you have any grievances, you have them with her just as you have them with me."

"No! You tricked her into accepting it, just as you…"

"Rael… Listen to what you're saying. How could I possibly trick her into anything. She's twelve times my age, and very intelligent. I couldn't trick her any more than I could trick Principal Lee, or even you. But if this is the fight you want to have, I'm perfectly willing to settle your ill formed grudge with me." Shinwoo said, taking off his school jacket, and cracking his neck.

"Landlord… Can we borrow your training room?" Rael asked. Frankenstein sighed.

"Okay. Just please don't kill each other. So much paperwork. So much mess." The headmaster said. Rael hurried downstairs, glaring at Shinwoo the whole way.

"Rael… I really don't want to fight you. I would like to find a peaceful solution, if there is one." Shinwoo said hopefully. He knew that Rael was really no match for him.

He didn't want to humiliate Rael by defeating him as soundly as he could. But, it was starting to look like there was no other solution.

"There is no other way! You have besmirched the Noble race and Seira personally by modifying her! There is no other payment but death for that!"

"First of all, Rai accepted modifications. Are you saying that he shamed the Nobles as well? Because if Seira's doing it is shameful, then Rai doing it is no less shameful? To apply it to one is inherently to apply it to the other."

"No! For Sir Raizel, there was no other way. He was going to die if he didn't."

"So? He would reincarnate into the next generation of Noblesse if he died. How is avoiding the natural order simply because of the potential for death less shameful?"

"You're twisting my words, Human! Shut up and fight me!"

"Very well. Am I allowed a weapon? Either way, I suggest you take out yours." Shinwoo said sadly.

Rael manifested his Kartas, and made no mention of whether Shinwoo was allowed a weapon. Shinwoo, therefore assumed that he was allowed a weapon, and created a hyper dense, and hyper sharp sword with biomass. The material was a hundred times denser than Osmium, but lighter than aluminum. Shinwoo swung the sword experimentally, and ended up damaging one wall all the way from the other side of the room and creating a sonic boom.

Shinwoo merely stayed still while Rael seemed to disappear, removing all traces of himself from even aura detection. Shinwoo had seen this before, and extended his senses, paying close attention to every molecule in the entire room, and watching for microchanges in air density surrounding even an invisible opponent. For even when invisible, Rael was not weightless, and thus, no matter how miniscule, there would be changes in the density of the air that surrounded him.

In fact, although Shinwoo couldn't say for certain, Rael might cause greater fluctuations in density than average for a person of his weight given the possible weight of his soul. Shinwoo would have to run tests to determine that. But for now, it was irrelevant. He just had to focus.

Suddenly, he felt a change, and twisted, kicking Rael in the chest, breaking a rib. Rael gasped at Shinwoo's speed. The sonic boom alone that his kick created sent Rael flying, and broke his rib, and dislocated his right shoulder. Shinwoo launched into action, bouncing off the wall, staying in no place long enough for Rael to follow Shinwoo's movements, and blocking several vital ki points in the Noble's body, paralyzing his other arm.

One arm was now next to useless because his shoulder was dislocated, and the other was paralyzed. Shinwoo stopped, and bowed politely to Rael.

"Are you ready to stop this ridiculous battle?"

Rael sighed, looking at Shinwoo carefully.

"You swear on your honor that Seira agreed to this?" Rael asked. Shinwoo nodded.

"I swear on my honor, yours, and Regis's, and Rai's to boot."

"Fine…" Rael said sullenly. Shinwoo smiled, offering a hand to Rael, who smacked it aside, and stood up himself. Shinwoo shrugged and waved at the camera that the school had on the wall.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

"…"

"Cadis Etrama DiRaizel…"

"…?"

"We…" Raskreia began. Raizel arched an elegant eyebrow, still not saying anything.

"We've been dating for just over a year, now… It will be one year, three months, and seven days tomorrow." The Lord began, her face not betraying any particular emotion.

"I am expected to propose… Frankenstein informed me that the man is supposed to propose…" Raizel said, surprising Raskreia.

He didn't seem pressured to do it, and she didn't intend to pressure him, so she wondered what he was actually thinking. His face was always such a mask that it was difficult to tell what he was thinking.

"No… I… Wondered if we were doing it right. We've been dating for a year. We've gone on dates. We've kissed. We've even slept together more than once. I wondered if our relationship is going the right way, as humans would do it."

"I am not sure. Han Shinwoo would probably know better than I." Raizel said quietly. He then looked directly at Raskreia. "You are not angry that Seira chose to become a Biouser?" He asked.

"Why should I be? It was her will to do so. Just as you respected the traitors' wills to betray you, I must respect Seira's will to become a Biouser. She will need help in adjusting to her powers."

"Han Shinwoo will be able to help her…

"You are not worried that her powers will eclipse yours?"

"I am not. She has never shown herself to be rebellious. I am not concerned that she will attempt to usurp my position. I am simply curious about the appeal that such powers held for her."

"I am not certain. I cannot speak for her. You must ask her yourself if you wish to know. If her time is anything like mine, then she will be awake soon, and stronger than ever."

"Seira… I wish to know why you have accepted modification. Your life was not in danger if you did not. You did not have it forced upon you. I… I am not angry… I am asking you, not demanding you to answer me."

"I do not mind answering, Lord…" Seira said quietly. "I wanted to be worthy of the title that I inherited at such a young age.

"My father passed into his Eternal Sleep when I was barely an adult. I wasn't ready then to be a Clan Leader. I wasn't powerful enough to defend the Nobles from their enemies, and I felt my inadequacies. Even Regis, who is barely half my age was capable of summoning Legasus despite the fact that he was not the Clan Leader yet. He earned his place amongst the Clan Leaders. My place was thrust upon me.

"I possessed neither the physical power nor the spiritual power to be a Clan Leader. Now, I can say that I do. I feel my aura suffusing me. Though I still need to work on controlling it, my physical and mental abilities have increased. Could you train me in the use of my abilities, Shinwoo?" Seira asked. Shinwoo smiled, nodding.

"I think Frankenstein, or Rai would be better choices of people to train you in your Noble abilities, though."

"No. I want help learning how to use my Bioenergy Manipulation abilities. I feel that you would be the best person to train me in that."

"The best? I doubt it. I certainly learned a few weird tricks for creating bizarre thing, like that plant monster, and of course, the enhancement pills…"

"No. You are very creative with your Bioenergy Manipulation. If there's anyone who should teach me, it's you."

"Okay. I'll do it. Once school ends. After that, I'll have all the time I need. I was considering opening a martial arts school. I think if I mention that I'm the national champion of MMA, people will come flocking."

"Perhaps. Thank you. I look forward to your lessons, Shinwoo." Seira said, blushing slightly. Shinwoo smiled cheerfully.

"Let me take you for your first lesson tonight. It will be a simple lesson. You inherently have some biomass, as your body generates some of its own. Let's go for a walk in the park." Shinwoo said, taking Seira's hand, and pulling her along with him.

"Okay. Now, there are lots of ways of producing biomass without drawing attention to yourself. At first, I used rats. Now, the rat population of this city is almost zero, so I don't bother using them anymore. Instead, I use trees."

"You… Absorb trees? I knew that you did that, but wouldn't that draw a lot of attention? An entire tree can't disappear without someone noticing."

"No. You're right. So, come over here and touch this tree, and focus on it. Imbue it with some of your biomass. That will activate the tree as a biomass agent. It will then begin to produce a certain amount of biomass daily at your command. You can come back and make it produce more. And you can draw on it as a source of biomass without completely absorbing it."

Seira nodded, and touched the tree gently, and Shinwoo smelled the Biomass transfer from Seira's body into the tree.  
"Good. Sadly, I don't think we're alone tonight. Can't you just leave us alone? Seira and I are on a date."

"I can respect that. I merely wish to borrow a few minutes of your time. Then I will leave you to your own devices."

"You're obviously a Werewolf. What could a Werewolf such as yourself have to say to us?"

"I've… Been looking for a certain Werewolf at the behest of my Lord, and… Well, I've seen him in your company on more than one occasion." The obviously female Werewolf said quietly, scratching her flaming red hair, seeming embarrassed.

"You mean Muzaka. Why should we give him up to you? He's our friend…" Shinwoo demanded.

"Well, I didn't think that you would right off the bat. But, perhaps I could offer you something you wanted in exchange for the information."

"What could you possibly have that I want?"

"My Lord tells me that Muzaka has a vendetta, unfounded, of course, against him. Perhaps we could arrange a meeting between the two of them. Our Lord really wants to bury the hatchet, make peace with Muzaka. Despite Muzaka's treacherous behavior in the past, Maduke is more than willing to forgive him, seeing the need for unity amongst our Clan."

"Way I hear it, it's more than just a misunderstanding. Way I hear it, Maduke murdered Muzaka's daughter… His thirteen year old daughter in order to enrage Muzaka. And he used a cowardly method of doing it, shooting her in the back with a crossbow, so that Muzaka would think it was a human who murdered her. What possible explanation could your Maduke have for that."

"That's a lie! Maduke is a good, honorable man! Sorry… I was told to be civil. Please just pass the message to Muzaka, and I won't take up any more of your time."

"I…" Shinwoo began. Seira stopped him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Seira spoke next.

"We will bring the message to him. May I ask your name?"

"Gwyn Hazelmere, if it's any business of yours. He will send a message in three days to your school principal mentioning the time and place. Tell him he is not obligated to attend the meeting. Have a good night. My apologies for disturbing you."

"Okay… Now, you'll be able to detect any tree that has biomass generation programmed in. It has my signature, and soon, yours will have your signature. Approximately 53% of the trees in this park have some level of biomass generation programmed in. So, you can pretty much find a viable tree anywhere in the park. Now, come over to this tree.

"This was the first tree that I imbued with biomass. It's big, right? I haven't tapped it in over four months. I really need to keep on top of them, or the trees will start to grow out of control. Touch the tree, and focus on drawing biomass out of it. Good. You feel the biomass in your body? Now, breathe in, and order it to transmute to bioenergy." Shinwoo said calmly. Seira closed her eyes, and thought about it turning into energy. Suddenly, she felt an overwhelming power inside her.

She nearly collapsed from the shock. Shinwoo caught her, though, and eased her down on a bench.

"Are you alright, Seira?" Shinwoo asked. Seira nodded.

"I didn't expect the feeling to be so powerful. So much energy came out of relatively little biomass." Seira said, shivering slightly. Shinwoo put a hand on her back.

"You'll get used to it. I had trouble at first as well."

"Hey, boss!" Shinwoo called as he escorted Seira back into the house.

"Shinwoo… How did your lesson go?" Frankenstein asked cheerfully. Then he sobered slightly.

"You seem slightly disconcerted."

"Well… A Werewolf accosted us in the park. She extended a message to Muzaka from Maduke."

"Maduke wanted to send me a message? I find that hard to believe… What was the Werewolf's name?"

"Gwyn Hazelmere…" Shinwoo said.

"I seem to remember a Werewolf with that name. What did she want to say?"

"Maduke wishes to 'bury the hatchet' between you, and meet with you. She said that Maduke would send a message in three days to Ye Ran mentioning the time and place that he wishes to meet.

"He also said that you aren't under any obligation to meet him if you don't want to."

"I will go. And I will be going alone. Maduke owes me his pound of fur for what he did to my daughter."

"Of course. I'm certain that you can defeat a single Union Elder in combat. That is… Assuming he doesn't use any underhanded tricks as he did with Ashleen." Frankenstein said cautiously.

"He can use all the underhanded tricks he wants. I will defeat him by my own power. Before you ask, Han Shinwoo, I need no weapons, or advantages. I must defeat him honorably, or my victory will mean nothing."

"I respect that." Shinwoo said. "But are you sure he'll fight? If you're as powerful as I estimate, he might just run. Your regenerative ability probably outstrips his a dozen times over. Does Werewolves' regeneration become stronger as they get older?"

"Yes… Though, my regeneration is exceptional even by the standards of our race. As I understand, Garda's regeneration is also quite unusual, and it only increased the more they experimented on her, the more they cut her apart, the more her regeneration increased, in order to adapt to the damage they were doing."

"I see. I wish you the best of luck, though… You'll hardly need it, most likely."

"Muzaka… Before you go out and risk your life, could we go on that date?" Garda asked, blushing. Lunark also blushed upon hearing this, looking at Frankenstein. She secretly wanted him, though she knew that his loyalty was to his master. She couldn't ask him to choose between her and his master. Frankly, how could she compete with a man so inherently elegant and bordering on absolute perfection?

"Everyone, please give me a moment… Muzaka, go on a date with Garda… Be a perfect gentleman. I would expect no less from you. Shinwoo, Seira… Go to Shinwoo's place. The rest of you, have the evening free. I'll take care of the house."

Tao and Takeo gasped. Frankenstein never offered that.

"Not you, Lunark. I want to ask you something. Master, may I have a moment, please?"

Raizel nodded, and went out the door with Raskreia. Frankenstein actually felt a little bit lonely. His master was becoming more capable in the modern world. He was still completely technologically inept, but his abilities were improving. The other night, he walked home without getting lost at all.

"Lunark… You seem to be harboring feelings for me. I wouldn't mention this save that it seems to be distressing you."

"How did you… Did you read my mind?"

"Nothing so vulgar. Simple empathic detection. I didn't read your thoughts, but your feelings."

"I didn't tell you because I knew I couldn't compete with your devotion to your master."

"I may be indebted to my master. That doesn't mean I'm not a man with feelings just like any other. I apologize that I didn't notice sooner.

"Please, allow me to make up for my… Error." Frankenstein said. The truth was, the first time he fought her, he was somewhat taken with her. Her dedication, her ferocity, her strength and power. She was everything that a Werewolf should be. She wasn't nearly as powerful or as old as Muzaka, but she was powerful for a Werewolf her age.

"Tell me, Lunark… Are you conflicted at all about Muzaka trying to kill Maduke? Maduke is your current Lord, regardless of how he attained the rank."

"No. I'm not. Muzaka is brave, strong, cunning. He's the type of leader I can respect. Maduke does not embody what it means to be a Werewolf. He used trickery and murder to gain the rank of Lord. He used behaved in a way that Werewolves typically attribute to humans.

"Werwolves fight with honor. Humans will stab a man in the back as quickly as look at them… Of course, you and your tenants are an exception. I have met humans in this household that I can respect, and I find it hard still to believe that any such humans exist."

"I see. Do you think that Muzaka will reclaim his place as Lord of the Werewolves upon defeating Maduke?"

"I think not. Muzaka's time is over. Regardless of whether Muzaka wants to, most Werewolves believe him to be a traitor to our Clan. Many human members of the Union even believe him to be a traitor. He could never regain the position of Lord, unless something drastic were to happen."

"Perhaps I could ask you on a date… If only to properly apologize for my lack of insight."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

"I-I… You don't need to do that… I appreciate it, and…"

"Then… For my pleasure…" Frankenstein said, smiling politely. Suddenly, Lunark's heart skipped a beat. She never expected him to have such a powerful effect on her. Was he using his mind control on her? It didn't feel like it. She had built up a certain level of resistance to mind control through being in the Union, and training against Noble Union agents who had powerful mind control abilities.

"O-okay…" She gasped.

"Good evening, Miss Yuna… Would you…" Linus asked nervously, not finishing. "I mean, would you… Like to go on a date? I mean, w-with your mother's permission, of course…"

"How old did you say you were, young man?" Yuna's mother asked. Linus scratched the back of his head. He was actually in his 120s. But that was irrelevant.

"Well… In my late 20's, ma'am… Why do you ask?" Linus asked.

"Well… It's cute. You still act like a lovesick teenager going on his first date. You seem like a real gentleman. You brought flowers for my daughter, and you're wearing a suit and tie…"

"Well… I actually just forgot to change out of my work clothes. Oh! The flowers! I brought these for you, Miss Yuna…"

"Oh my god! They're beautiful! Did you get these from Shinwoo? They're so exotic…" Yuna exclaimed, smelling the flowers. They filled the air with their intoxicating aroma. It was almost enough to put her to sleep. She kept her head about her, though.

"Shinwoo says that they require warm water that you should change every other day."

"Well… Have fun on your date… Don't bring her home too late, Linus…"

"And don't call me Miss Yuna… Just Yuna is fine. I am your girlfriend, now." Yuna said, taking Linus's hand and going out the door with him.

Raizel picked a white flower, using his bioenergy manipulation to tinker with it, turning it into a white rose, and turning the petals Technicolor, and handing the rose to Raskreia as they walked through the park.

"It's beautiful, Cadis Etrama DiRaizel… It's a lovely night, isn't it?"

Raizel nodded.

He had a big plan for tonight. He had the time, and now that he had the time alone with Raskreia, he planned to do what he had wanted to do for over a month. As they moved into a square, where a fountain was lit by aesthetic light, casting shadows and flickering light across the whole square, Raizel stopped Raskreia and knelt down in front of her.

"Erga Kenesis DiRaskreia…" Raizel said.

Raskreia started slightly. Raizel had been even quieter than usual that night. He hadn't said a word to her all evening. Now, everyone in the park square was watching them, bated breath. Raskreia felt her chest clench. Was he going to say what she thought he was. He took a black box out of his pocket, and presented it to her.

"Will you do me the honor of being my bride?" Raizel asked. The humans who were watching gasped, their stares becoming even more noticeable, now. Raskreia didn't think that he had intended to propose in front of all these people. He probably had just been building up his confidence all evening, and wanted to propose before that confidence deserted him.

She was nailed to the spot for a moment, staring at the perfect blood red diamond ring. He had likely created a diamond out of carbon using his telekinesis to put immense pressure on the carbon, and speed up time in the immediate vicinity of the carbon.

He probably then rearranged it again until it was blood red. The diamond was gorgeous. But she had been standing there, she realized, for several minutes, saying nothing. The crowd was still staring, their attention completely captured.

"Yes…" Raskreia whispered, taking the ring, and slipping it on her ring finger. It fit her finger perfectly. Raizel had known exactly how big her finger was.

The crowd, Raskreia was slightly embarrassed to realize, was applauding, now. Raizel stood, and embraced Raskreia, kissing her tenderly on the lips. Raskreia found herself reciprocating the kiss with equal fervor. She was happier than she had ever been.

As the two newly engaged Nobles walked home, Raskreia closed her eyes, finding that she could feel an interesting energy signature coming from the ring. It was loaded with energy, with a signature similar to her own, but not exactly like hers. It was more intense, almost as if there were intense emotions lacing the energy. There must have been more than fifty times as much life force as she possessed, or could even produce in an entire year. Did Raizel's power really increase this much?

Had he been hiding the true extent of his power so that he didn't scare others? If Raizel's life force was this powerful, even after he had been almost completely depleted after all of his battles, that was unbelievable.

"Cadis Etrama DiRaizel…"

"Raskreia?" Raizel asked simply.

"You put a massive amount of life energy into my engagement ring." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"Yes." Was his reply.

"Why?"

"In case of emergency." Raizel said mysteriously. Raskreia understood, though. In the unlikely event that she didn't have enough power to continue fighting on her own, she would have a backup store.

That way, she wouldn't have to feel like she was abandoning her subjects, but she wouldn't have to fight unto her own death.

"Thank you." Raskreia said, smiling, and pouring some of her own Life Force into the ring. The ring seemed like it would hold a huge amount of Life Force. Raskreia assumed that the ring was made by Raizel. But she didn't know for sure.

"Cadis Etrama DiRaizel… Did you… Make this yourself?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"My telekinesis. I sped up time and pressure on some blocks of Carbon, then reorganized the atoms so that they were red.

"Did you know that red diamonds are the rarest form of diamond? I thought it appropriate for a rare beauty such as yourself." Raizel said, being uncommonly romantic, Raskreia felt. She was truly taken aback. True, if Raizel could so easily make a red diamond, then he could flood the market with them, making them worthless. But the gesture was still a beautiful one.

She had initially thought he had made the diamond red to match her eyes. But it actually had a deeper meaning.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

"Lord… That's a beautiful ring…" Frankenstein, bowing and asking if he could see it for a moment. Raskreia nodded, and removed the ring. The rest of the household gathered around and looked at the ring as well.

"Did Master give this to you?" Frankenstein asked, though he felt he scarcely needed to ask. Raskreia nodded once.

"Raizel proposed to me tonight." Raskreia said softly, blushing, much to the amazement of the rest of the group. The reclusive Noblesse had proposed marriage to the woman he loved. Tao was the first to go up to Raizel, and clap him on the back.

"Good job! We're all proud of you!" Tao said, seeming to be completely unashamed of his loud and slightly annoying behavior.

"Thank you." Raizel said, looking around, but not seeing Muzaka or Garda, or even M-21. They must still have been on their dates.

"Thank you for agreeing to this date, Lord…"

"Don't call me that. If only for tonight, I'm not your Lord. I'm your date. Where did you want to go to eat?"

"Go? Don't we just hunt for our own food?"

"Not anymore. Unfortunately, times have changed. Come with me." Muzaka said, taking Garda's hand, and leading her into a convenience store, and showing her a refrigerated rack of rice balls.

"Excuse me… Umm… Jeong Soo…" Garda asked, looking at the clerk's nametag from halfway across the store, surprising the young man. Although she wasn't speaking loudly, he could hear her perfectly.

"Yes? How may I help you?"

"Are these rice balls made fresh every day?"

"No, ma'am… I shouldn't actually be saying this. But I wouldn't recommend those. They're not terribly appetizing, and they've been out for two days, already. If they're not sold by closing tomorrow, they'll be thrown out. I'll go get some fresh ones…"

"Wait… You mean you throw out perfectly good food? What a waste!"

"Garda… Humans don't have as strong a digestive system as Werewolves do. Werewolves could eat nothing but spoiled food, and never get sick. Humans aren't so resistant to poison."

"Wait… Garda… Is that you? Garda?" Came a voice from the electronic door. Garda turned around and saw the young man that she met the first day she was free from the Union.

"Oh… Um… Crap… I don't remember his name…" Garda whispered to Muzaka, who laughed.

"You never were very good with names…"

"I ran into him immediately after I fled the Union, and he took me to Ye Ran so that I could find you. He was very kind. He explained cell phones and PC Bangs… And what a computer was."

"You've never seen a computer?"

"Well… He said that his cell phone was a computer… Very small… And he talked to a girl kilometers away. I think she was his mate…"

"No, no. My name is Jung Seong, by the way. It's alright. She's not my mate. She's a lesbian, anyway."

"A what?" Garda asked, cocking her head slightly.

"A lesbian. Let's see… She likes women."

"But then how does she reproduce? Even Werewolves can't reproduce without a male and female…" Garda asked quizzically. Jung Seong laughed.

"She doesn't. First of all, she hates children. But if she wanted children, she could adopt, or do in vitro, I guess."

"What, now? In vitro?"

"Never mind. I forgot… 820 years and all that. Do Werewolves even have homosexuals?"

"Very few, young man… From what I understand, the rate of homosexuality in humans stands at about 15%, maybe a little bit more. For Werewolves, the statistics stand only at about 2% for women and maybe 0.5-1% of men.

"However, considering the fact that there are so many fewer Werewolves than humans, that accounts for a larger portion of the population, and homosexual females are still expected to take a male mate, though she can satisfy herself with other females if she wishes. Why are you interested in this, young man?"

"Jung…"

"What?

"My name. It's Jung."

"Jung… What is your interest in Werewolf culture? It's not your culture. So why should it matter to you?" Muzaka asked. Jung thought for a moment.

"No. It's not my culture. But in recent years, humans have become fascinated by Werewolves, Vampires, witches and wizards, and other supernatural beings. Do Vampires exist?"

"Not as such. Listen, I'm trying to take Garda on a date… And I would like to show her a good time. I appreciate your concern for her wellbeing, but if you could leave us be?"

"Oh! Of course… Have a good night…" Jung said, running off, forgetting that he had probably entered the store for a reason beyond just talking to Garda.

"Is he a friend of yours?"

"Hardly. He led me to Ye Ran High School, and filled me in on some modern items and such. He told me that his friend would be attracted to me sexually. I think he was trying to get her a date."

"I see… Well, we could get food here, or maybe we could just go hunting… Unfortunately, that would draw attention to ourselves unnecessarily, and I doubt Frankenstein would be terribly pleased about that, especially since he doesn't want to have to fight the Union any more than absolutely necessary."

Muzaka said this, leading Garda out, and taking her to a steakhouse, where at least they could get some meat. As they were walking, Muzaka looked at Garda. What did she see in someone like him? He had essentially abandoned his people for the sake of revenge.

"What… What is your attraction to me?" He asked out loud. Garda looked surprised for a moment.

"W-what do you mean?"

"Why on earth are you attracted to me? Why am I so special to you?"

"Well… I-I mean… You're strong, and… Honorable… And you were always so kind, but despite your kindness, you wouldn't allow anyone to change your mind.

"You maintained that Werewolves should remain separated from humans, and although your people disobeyed you when you were away, you always made it right when you came back… I-I admired that about you."

"Thank you… It was obvious that Werewolves were never meant to remain separate from humans, though. As soon as I was gone, they would interact, and dominate.

"And your loyalty to me made them betray you, and turn you over to the Union. I'm sorry that you had to go through that."

"I was asleep the whole time, so I don't remember it. I remember intense pain in my dreams, I think they were experimenting on me. I don't feel any different, but maybe I'm a Modified Werewolf, even if I don't know it." Garda said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Garda… Maybe you would come with me when I go to face Maduke? I can't allow you to fight alongside me. It's a one-on-one fight as it must be. But I would appreciate your presence, if only as a neutral witness as to who wins."

"You know I'm not neutral, Muzaka. I can't be neutral, and I know you would never use foulplay in a duel of honor."

"I wouldn't. But I don't trust Maduke not to. Plus, if I lose, I want one last chance to say goodbye to you."

"I-I understand." Garda said, tears flooding her rust red eyes. She didn't want to think of the possibility of losing Muzaka again. But she knew it was entirely possible.

"I'm sorry… I would like to stay in this world forever. But… I need closure on this matter."

"This is the place?"

"That's what Frankenstein says. It's mostly a steakhouse, but they serve other kinds of meat as well. Lamb, for instance. I'm sure there are other kinds of meat if you look at the menu. You can obviously speak Korean. Can you read it?"

"Not very well. I've been learning, and the kids have been teaching me. But I'm still a beginner." Garda said, feeling very silly at the moment.

"That's alright. I can help you." Muzaka said kindly, taking her waist, and walking in with her.

"Hello, table for two, please?" Muzaka said politely. The waitress blushed deeply upon seeing him. He was so handsome. It was hard to believe he was even real.

"R-right… Away, sir, ma'am…" she said, leading them to their table, and seating them, leaving their menus and walking away. Muzaka sat down next to Garda, and helped her read the menu where she was having trouble, and reading it himself while he was at it. There were some good choices. It was a steakhouse that served large portions.

The waitress came to the table, and smiled, feeling slightly intimidated by this incredibly handsome man in front of her.

"Is everything alright? Are you ready to order?"

"Oh… I'm sorry… My date is a little green still on reading Korean… She's still puzzling out the menu." Muzaka said politely.

"Oh! Okay, take your time, then. I'll come back when you're ready…" The woman said, turning and walking away, a little relieved not to be in their overwhelming presence. Something about the man's presence made her feel like she was being watched by a predator. It was at once exhilarating and terrifying. Like she was falling in love with this very dangerous man, but also wanted to recoil immediately. It was a strange dichotomous emotion that was flooding her senses.

"Okay, so you want the steak? How did you want it cooked?"

"Cooked? Can't I just eat it raw?" Garda asked. Muzaka laughed, and shook his head.  
"I'm afraid not. You could ask for it extra rare, though. That's about as close to raw as you can ask."

"I see… Then, I'll do that. And you?"

"I'm probably going to do the same." Muzaka said cheerfully, setting the menus down, and waiting for the woman to come back over, which happened a few minutes later.

"Are you ready, now?" she asked. The two nodded.

"I'd like the 32 ounce filet mignon, cooked extra rare, please?" Muzaka asked.

"You're aware of the potential health risks of eating undercooked meat, right, sir?" The waitress asked, privately thinking that he would have trouble finishing all that in the first place, as though she had practiced this a great deal.

"What did she say?" Garda whispered in her native language. Muzaka responded in the same language.

"She was reminding me that undercooked meat is potentially dangerous for human consumption due to bacteria and other pathogens."

"Oh."

"Yes, I know. Thank you." Muzaka said.

"What side would you like with the steak?"

"Hmm… Potatoes and beans, please." Muzaka said. Garda nodded.

"I guess I'll have the same. Thank you." Garda said in passable Korean. The waitress nodded, not sure what language they were speaking between themselves, but sure it wasn't a language she had ever heard before. Maybe she'd ask later. The truth was, they were speaking North Germanic, a language common in Northern Europe around 3,000 years ago, but now essentially extinct save for the passing commonalities between it and modern German and other Germanic languages.

After about twenty minutes, their dinners came out. Muzaka looked down happily at his bloody steak, and cut it open, knowing that he couldn't eat it with his bare hands. That would be terribly inappropriate.

"Why do we eat it with silverware? Can we not just pick it up and eat it?" Garda asked in Northern Germanic. Muzaka shook his head and responded in the same language.

"It would not be appropriate. Humans don't do that." He replied. Garda nodded.

"Humans are strange creature. I don't understand them." Garda sighed, cutting the steak, and putting a piece in her mouth, savoring the taste of the blood running down her throat, and then swallowing it. After a while eating, they finished their meals, and put their utensils down. The woman came with their bill. Muzaka looked at the check, and took out a card, putting it in the folder, which the waitress took, and returned shortly with a receipt.

"Muzaka, that was a really good dinner. What was that you did at the end?"

"You mean pay? You need to pay for food in the modern world, especially when you are at a restaurant. You pay not only for the food, but also for the service."

"Wait! A man as noble and powerful as you shouldn't have to pay! You could rule these apes if you wanted to!" Garda exclaimed, outraged that Muzaka had been charged for, in her opinion, honoring them with his presence.

"Wow. You really don't get it at all, do you? I don't want to rule humans. I have no desire for status amongst or above them. I just want to fit in.

"And to fit in, you have to pay for your food, and tip the waiter."

"Tip the waiter?"

"Yes. Usually the tip is expected to be between 10% and 20% of the price of the meal, though some flexibility exists if you're particularly impressed with the service."

"You mean you pay them extra just for doing their job?"

"Yes… And no. Waiters don't make a lot of money. Their paycheck is lower than the national standard because they count on tips for so much of their income. It would be considered beyond inconsiderate to not tip them. It would be downright crass."

"I-I see… The world has changed so much since I was captured. I fear I'll never fully understand it." Garda said helplessly. Muzaka hugged her tightly, kissing her gently on the cheek.

"You will eventually. I have faith in you. You're an intelligent woman. We may as well go home, now. I was told by Raizel that he wanted to propose to the Noble Lord soon. Maybe he did that tonight."

"Propose? Is that similar to taking a mate?" Garda asked uncertainly.

"In some ways. For Werewolves, taking a mate is more about procreating and finding a suitable mate based on status and power. For humans, it's more about love. I think Nobles have this tradition to some extent, though I suspect there are still political marriages amongst Nobles. As it isn't my business, I haven't asked extensively about it."

The two then went back to Frankenstein's house, walking in and seeing everyone gathered already.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

"Raizel… Would you join me? I'm leaving to meet Maduke to 'bury the hatchet.' Unfortunately, he's liable to use foul tricks to try to defeat me, so I may have to bury that hatchet in his head. If I don't survive, I want you to at least be there so I can see you one last time, and so you can absorb me." Muzaka said.

If he died, he at least wanted to be able to give Raizel his regeneration that he had in such excess.

"I understand." Raizel said, standing and putting his shoes on, ready to go with Muzaka, either to his death, or to his victory.

"Thank you." Muzaka said, smiling grimly. Frankenstein seemed distraught as well. As the two friends went to the door, they were cut off by Shinwoo, Seira, Ikhan, Suyi, and Yuna, all of whom seemed rather grim as well.

"We came to wish you the best of luck in your upcoming battle." Shinwoo said, taking a beautiful katana, and handing it to Muzaka, who looked at it quizzically.

"But, I don't know how to use a katana. I never learned to use manmade weapons. I use my hands, my claws, my teeth." Muzaka said, offering the katana back to Shinwoo, who shook his head.

"This katana is sharper than any katana I've ever made, and dense and heavy enough to break through the toughest natural armor. In addition…" Shinwoo said, touching Muzaka's forehead, and implanting him with knowledge of fighting with a katana.

Muzaka gasped as the knowledge struck him.

"Thank you, Han Shinwoo. This is very kind of you. Most Werewolf Duels don't include manmade weapons. But, he may bring manmade weapons with him… Coward that he is. And in that instance, I may be able to use this. I'm flattered that you think so much of me."

"No problem. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow at school." Shinwoo said. Muzaka nodded. He knew now that he couldn't lose. He had to see the children again at school.

Muzaka nodded, and kissed Garda one last time before he left with Raizel.

"I promise I'll be back." Muzaka said gently.

"Muzaka… It's good to see you again. I'm aware that you have some things that belong to me… Three things, in fact. I want them back." Maduke said, his gaze narrowing in a threatening manner.

"I can't give Garda back to you. And the other two, I can't speak for them. It is their decision whether they wish to return."

"And the human who mimics our abilities so shamelessly?"

"Linus? Even he, a modified human, has more honor than a treacherous dog such as yourself." Muzaka snarled. Maduke sighed.

"I came with the hope that we could reconcile. I can't allow you to become the Lord again. Your values, your desires are not compatible with those of my people."

"You murdered my daughter. There is no reconciliation for that."

"You mean your half-breed? I did not kill her. Did you not see the arrows in her back? Werewolves would never have used human weapons."

"Your followers used human weapons to disguise the fact that it was Werewolves. There is nothing left to talk about. I have brought Cadis Etrama DiRaizel as a witness for our duel."

"Very well. Gayare… Please come out." Maduke said politely. A tall Werewolf with a goatee and sharp eyes came out, bowing to Muzaka, who bowed in return.

"My witness will be Gayare. Normally, it would be required that a Werewolf be a witness for the combatants, but since I assume you did not wish your lover to see you in peril, I understand." Suddenly, Muzaka heard a bullet whiz out from the tree.

Faster than he could even think, his hand rushed to his katana, and he removed it, slicing the bullet in half, twisting around gracefully while doing it, then making another half-twist and cutting another bullet, then turning and cutting a third. However, he missed the fourth bullet, which buried itself in Muzaka's arm. Muzaka had sensed the bullet just a moment too late, and moved, but only partially avoided it.

It was lucky, really. If he had let it hit him dead on, it would have pumped an anti-regenerative agent directly into his heart, which would likely not have killed him, but would almost completely have stopped his regeneration. As it was, his regeneration was drastically slowed. Muzaka gasped, and concentrated on slowing his blood flow, even as he transformed, howling while Mirai and Ume put up a barrier around the park so that humans wouldn't be needlessly injured, lest Raizel decide he needed to become involved.

Muzaka put the katana away, glaring at Maduke.

"Coward…" Muzaka spat. Maduke smirked at the former Lord.

"What's wrong? You can't do battle if you don't have the overwhelming advantage? Have you come to rely so much on your maddeningly powerful regeneration that you neglected your other abilities?" Maduke asked, transforming as well, and waiting for Muzaka to attack.

Suddenly, Muzaka moved, faster even than Maduke remembered him being able to, clawing Maduke, aiming for his throat, but hitting his chest instead, opening a huge gash on him that bled profusely. In the moment that Muzaka made contact, though, Maduke counterattacked, and opened up a wound on Muzaka as well. As this was going on, Raizel stood back, watching impartially. He knew how important this was to Muzaka, and would not interfere no matter what.

Another bullet came out of the tree, which Raizel stopped with his telekinesis, actually vaporizing the bullet due to the impact speed at which the bullet hit the telekinetic wall. Two more bullets fired, but Raizel stopped both of them.

 _You have no hope of hitting Muzaka with a bullet again. Stop trying to interfere._ Raizel said telepathically to the Werewolf waiting in the tree, who gulped, nodding helplessly.

Next, Muzaka released a hypersonic howl, practically vaporizing several trees, and deafening all the Werewolves in the area, nearly breaking the barrier that Mirai and Ume had put up. In the next moment, seeing Maduke disoriented from the howl, Muzaka launched into attack again, growling, and striking once more, hitting right on Maduke's Carotid Artery, drawing a huge gush of blood, and then slashing with a knife hand and decapitating Maduke.

Then, just to make sure that Maduke was dead, he cut him to shreds, howling again in victory.

"Your human weapons were not very potent against me. You believed that by stopping my regeneration, you could make me weaker. Tell me how long this Regeneration Retardant lasts, and I might let you live."

"Fuck you, traitor!" Ume spat angrily. Muzaka smirked, and lifted his clawed hand to kill her. Raizel used his telekinesis to stop Muzaka, though, shaking his head.

"No need to kill them. I'm sure it will wear off in a few minutes." The Noblesse said, touching Muzaka, and using his telekinesis to speed the poison through his system in seconds rather than hours. Muzaka breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the poison fade.

"Much better…" Muzaka sighed, cutting a gaping hole on his arm, and watching it heal perfectly almost immediately. Ume gasped as Raizel and Muzaka turned around to look at her.

"Bring the other Werewolves out that were hiding. I know that there are others." Muzaka demanded. Ume nodded, and brought the others out.

"I am certain that you will not bow to me as your Lord. And frankly, I don't want to be your Lord. It does not appeal to me. Honestly, you all sicken me. I have met a modified human who bears the heart of a Werwolf who has more honor and dignity than all of you put together." Muzaka said disgustedly. Ume gaped at Muzaka.

"But then, who will be our Lord?"

"Figure it out for yourself. I don't care. Choose someone more in line with your way of thinking." The former Lord said, turning and walking away. As he did, Gayare growled angrily.

"Don't turn your back on me, coward!" He then attacked Muzaka, and was rewarded only with a spear strike to the stomach, which impaled him completely.

Gayare gasped, coughing blood as Muzaka twisted his hand, then pulled out, leaving Gayare badly injured, but alive.

"We're finished here. None of you can defeat me." Muzaka said disdainfully, finding a level of contempt for these Werewolves that he never knew he could possess.

"Hey, everyone! We are back!" Muzaka called, walking into Frankenstein's house with Raizel, who removed his shoes calmly and silently. Garda ran up to Muzaka, hugging him tightly, and kissing him. Realizing what she had done, though, she jumped away from him, bowing in apology.

"Please forgive my audacity, Lord." She muttered, turning a deep red.

"Garda… I told you. I'm not the Lord anymore… Of course, neither is Maduke. I killed him, by the way. Thank you for the sword, Shinwoo. It was very helpful. I managed to stop a number of anti-regenerative agent bullets with it."

"I'm glad. No, keep it. I made it specifically for you. I judged your approximate strength, your height, arm length, etcetera, and made it to your exact specifications."

"Oh… Thank you. But how much is this worth? I don't think I can accept a gift this valuable."

"It could probably sell for upwards of 27.5 billion to 30.87 billion Won. But I made this myself, and could make it again in an instant, so arguably, it's worthless."

"Or you could argue that it's priceless. I doubt there's another sword in the world that is its equal, or even close to its equal. Regardless, thank you for the gift. You're very generous, Shinwoo."

"No problem. Hey, Rai… Did Muzaka kick as much ass as it seems?" Shinwoo asked brightly. Raizel merely nodded once.

"Are you satisfied with the closure that you got, Muzaka?" Frankenstein asked. Muzaka sighed, looking at the group standing there.

"I always thought it would be so satisfying to kill the one who killed my daughter. But now that I have, it's oddly bittersweet. I trusted Maduke back when I was the Lord. He was one of my closest followers. I never saw the treachery that was in his heart. I feel like I've lost a part of myself. Is that strange?"

"Not at all. I was deeply saddened when I had to execute the traitor Clan Leaders." Raizel said serenely.

"They were some of my closest friends. I cared deeply about them, although I had trouble showing it. Even I never knew how much they must have resented me in their hearts, and it made me sad to think that I had to execute them. You did what you needed to do. That does not mean that you had to enjoy it."

"Thank you, Raizel… As quiet as you are, you're very wise." Muzaka said. Raizel looked at him placidly.

"It comes of being over 5,000 years old." Raizel said quietly. He was happy that Muzaka had finally, at long last gotten his closure on the issue that had so enraged him over 800 years ago. He was also excited, although it didn't show, that he was getting married to Raskreia.

Although the end of the school year was coming, and he and the friends with whom he had become so close in the time that he had been in high school might be going their separate ways soon, he was happy that he had come to the human world, and made these friends. Hopefully, he could remain friends with them for as long as they lived.

 **The End**


End file.
